September 16

Today's Readings

Today's Gospel reading includes the story of the harlot who washes Jesus' feet with her tears and wipes them with her hair. In the story, Jesus says to the Pharisee who objects that she loves much because she has been forgiven much.

We all have our list of things that we have done that make us blush. These are the things that, if people were to find out, they would not tolerate you or even look at you. They are the things that you might figure would keep you from God the entire time.

It is how we deal with these things that is the key to the entire puzzle. We have all sinned. We have all screwed up. We have all fallen short. The rock upon which we can be broken or elevated is how we deal with that. The promise of Jesus is that we are more than the sum of our failures. We are more than the sum of the hurts we have caused.

Freedom and the ability to love others flows from our ability to let go of those things that keep us from God. We are forgiven. We can let go of that crap that bogs us down. That is not to say that we aren't responsible. It is not to say that the freedom is cheap. On the contrary, it is very expensive. In order to let go of it, you must first understand it. And take ownership of it.

Denial of self includes the denial of the things that we hold dear to us that disfigure us. It includes letting go of those things that we have done that have hurt others and that hurt us as we blanche inside before our God and the realization of how we have fallen short.

We cannot truly love others and show them freedom until we are free ourselves.