Reflection on Today's Gospel Reading: Forgiveness & Mercy


Today's reading is one of my favorites. It tells us of Jesus meeting with the woman who was caught in the act of adultery. The Pharisees use her in an attempt to trap Jesus, which seems to be one of their never-ending, but futile goals. These self-proclaimed "perfect" men want to put Jesus into a difficult position (between a rock and a hard place) by forcing him to make the decision as to what this woman's punishment should be. If Jesus decides to go easy on her, then they will judge him as not taking the law seriously, but if he decides that she should be stoned, then they will ridicule him for not being merciful when he has spoken of the mercy and forgiveness of God. They are salivating at the thought of catching him in their trap.

Jesus does not look at them, but he begins writing on the ground. When pressed by them, he finally says, "Let the one who is without sin cast the first stone." (John 8:7.) Since none of them are sinless and perhaps may have even been her partner in adultery at one time or another, they all drop their stones, and depart. Jesus asks, "Has no one condemned you?" He then forgives her and tells her "Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more."

How often have we condemned others and cast stones at them when we ourselves have committed the same sin or others more serious than those we criticize or judge? Some of us might say that we would never commit a sin such as abortion, for example, but how do we know what we would do if we felt as if there were no alternatives and we were in a desperate situation? Anyone of us at any time is completely capable of committing the worst sins imaginable. It is only by the grace of God that we don't.

Christ freely extends his mercy and forgiveness to all his children -- the adulterer, the drug addict, the murderer. All we need to do is come to him in the sacrament of Confession, to repent, and open our hearts to Him. He will be there for us, extending his hand, and pouring out his never-ending stream of mercy upon us, cleansing our souls and purifying our hearts. Christ embraces us all and teaches us to be merciful and loving toward one another, just as he is to us.

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws"
~Ezekiel 36:26-27

"To live by love is to banish all fear, all remembrance of past faults."
~St. Therese of the Child Jesus

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