High and Low Anointings

Εἴπε δὲ πρὸς τὴν γυναῖκα· Ἡ πίστις σου σέσωκέ σε. Πορεύου εἰς εἰρήνην. Ἡ μὲν οὖν πλειοτέρα ψυχὴ, καλῶς λατρεύσασα τῳ Λόγῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ, παῥῥησίαν ἔχει ἐπ' αὐτὴν τὴν κεφαλὴν ἐλθεῖν· κεφαλὴ δὲ Χριστοῦ ὁ Θεός· ὥστε καταχέαι μύρον αὐτῆς, καὶ εὐωδίαν τῆ δόξῃ τοῦ Θεοῦ πεποιῆσθαι. Δοξάζεται δὲ ὁ Θεὸς διὰ τῆς εὐωδίας τοῦ βίου τῶν δικαίων. Ἡ δὲ ἀτελεστέρα γυνὴ καὶ ψυχὴ παρὰ τοὺς πόδας καὶ τὰ τεπεινότερα στρέφεται, ἧς ἐγγυς ἐσμεν ἡμεις. Οὐδὲ γὰρ μετενοήσαμεν ἀπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἡμῶν. Ποῦ ἡμῶν τὰ δάκρυα; ποῦ ὁ κλαυθμός; ἵνα κἂν παρὰ τοὺς πόδας Ἰησοῦ ἐλθεῖν δυνηθῶμεν. Ἐπ' αὐτὴν γὰρ οὕπω δυνάμεθα φθάσαι τὴν κεφαλήν. Ἀγαπητὸν δὲ μετὰ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα φέρειν μετανοίας εὐωδίαν, ἵνα τις δυνηθείη δευτέρως εἴναι ἡ τοὺς πόδας ἀλείφουσα, ἀλλὰ μὴ τὴν κεφαλήν· τουτέστιν ἡ μὴ ἅπτομένη τῶν τελεωτέρων καὶ ὑψηλοτέρων ἀλλὰ τῶν ἄκρων καὶ τελευταίων. Ὠριγένης, Εἰς Το Κατα Λουκαν Εὐαγγελιον, Κεφ Ζ'

'And He said to the woman, Your faith has saved you, go in peace.' 1 The soul which is closer to perfection, better serves the Word of God, and has faith even to the head, 'truly the head of Christ, God.' 2 so it may pour out its ointment and be made fragrant in the glory of God. And God is glorified through the fragrance of the life of the righteous. But the woman who was imperfect, and the soul, must circle around the feet and humble things, to which we are ourselves nearer. Where then are our tears? Where our cries? That at least we might be able to come to the feet of Jesus. We are not yet able to come to the head. But let one loving after sin bear the ointment of penitence, by which one can, in second place, anoint the feet, but not the head; that is, one has not yet reached perfection and the heights, but only things low and distant. Origen, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Luke, Chap 7, Fragment 1 Lk 7.48 2 1 Cor 11.3