The harlot loved Christ and sought to meet Him where no sin can touch, nor destroy the light and beauty. There, in the deepest and most virgin part of existence, in the human heart. The harlot showed us that in the heart of a disciple can hide a betrayer, and in the heart of a sinful woman – the entire beauty of the earth. But where has it been heard, “a harlot” to become an example for the faithful in the Church?
The religious lovers of the law cannot bear it. Because they have learned in their life to measure with the measure of “should,” with the bonds of the law, with the order of “do, do not,” rather than “be.” The fulfillment of God’s commandments, for them, is a treasure, a fortress of their “self” that needs to be nourished with self-affirmation through victories and successes. The “devout” aim to defeat God, not to be defeated by His love. The Kingdom of God for them is an achievement, not a gift and grace.
But God, the Father of Christ, is unusual and paradoxical. He loves unexpected and unanticipated transformations. That’s why His Kingdom is a complete transformation of our understandings and beliefs. In God’s Kingdom, there will not be the perfect, but the repentant; not the flawless, but the sincere; not the stubborn, but those tormented by the sufferings of life. All humble and suffering, weary and tormented, sick and sorrowful, all crucified on the earth and in history will be united in Christ with God’s joy and light. No one will be left out of the Bridegroom. Outside of the feast of God’s glory.
While we stubbornly believe in our “virtues” and “morals,” in our victories and successes, God will fill heaven with harlots and publicans. “Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.”
