At the end of my album entitled “Now There Is Mercy” there is a hidden track called “Fruit Fly.” Some folks have asked me what it means. Fruit flies only show up because something once sweet has gone rotten. The flies represent the little reminders that something is rotten in my life. The various comments that follow the initial realization that there happens to be a fruit fly or two in the kitchen flow from that running commentary in my head, the rogues gallery of voices that range from denial to indignation to despair to resignation to simply excusing oneself, and so on.

At the end a decisive voice arrives to silence the cacophony and deal with the situation via a simple smack. Bye, bye, fruit fly.

How do you deal with your sins? Denial? Despair? Rationalization? Renewed commitment to improvement? A promise to never, ever do it again? None of these actions really deal with the sin itself. Our Lord has done that at the cross. His blood decisively deals the needed smack to our sins. Bye, bye, fruit fly.