Sin No More

 

John 8: 1-11

The Woman Caught in Adultery

 ¹ but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

² At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. ³ The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group ⁴ and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. ⁵ In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” ⁶ They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. ⁷ When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” ⁸ Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

⁹ At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. ¹⁰ Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

¹¹ “No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Gentle compassion, forgiveness, and a chance to start again. Is that not what we all are seeking, especially during Lent? We are now into our final week of  "working on ourselves" (Next week is Holy Week, when we focus on the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus). May we use these days to seek the forgiveness we need and experience the healing touch of Jesus, which is always there for us. Let us not persist in darkness but walk in the light he promises. the Light he IS!

Bro. Rene

Good and loving God, we desire to live your law rightly, but at times we lose sight of your call for us to love. Have mercy on us, and grant us the courage and strength to act mercifully with everyone we meet. Convert our hearts, that we may draw others to you with our love. Amen.

  Ricky Bevington, C.S.C.