It’s in the process of actively seeking reconciliation through daily, and thoroughly reflective prayer, and going to confession, that allows us grow in our walk of faith in a way that was demonstrated by Oskar Schindler (of "Schindler's List"), but clearly was not demonstrated by the rich man in the gospel.

There are three distinct characters that play a part in today's Gospel. There is Simon the Pharisee, a religious leader, who in the story, invites Jesus to his home, but is shown to be inhospitable to him. There is the unnamed female guest who could be described as the town harlot, who is very contrite for her past actions and is seeking forgiveness. And then of course there is Jesus. There are lessons to be learned by looking at all three characters but I'd like to focus on Jesus' vantage point, as we see how he responds to this encounter with both this woman and Simon the Pharisee. It tells us a lot about Him and a lot about what He wants every one of us to be.

The gruesome story of the beheading of John the Baptist should inspire us to be relentless in our pursuit of the truth and be courageous enough to act on that truth with conviction, no matter the consequences, even when the consequences can be very dire - as was the case in the passion of John the Baptist.

These scripture readings today provide us with signposts along the road that point us to the narrow gate at the entrance of heaven. Jesus himself, how he lived and how he died, is the sign of how we are to live our lives. As Jesus shows us in the Gospel, our salvation doesn’t primarily depend on external appearances, appearing to be playing the game the right way, but on a friendship with Christ, a friendship that is rooted in our hearts. It’s only through our friendship with Jesus that allows his humble heart to become manifest in our lives.

The first reading tells us that we hold our treasure in earthen vessels. Importantly it follows that up by saying, "that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us." This tells us that we are just flawed containers- God's love is the treasure inside us. I saw one commentary that summarized this reading this way, saying "we're the pots and God is the Power". He makes us, the ordinary vessels... extraordinary.