Dear friends, let us learn to correct the other, with love.
Good morning, dear friends, and welcome to Monday of the fifth week of Lent Year B. We thank God for the new day and the new week and we ask for His blessings and protection throughout this day and the entire week, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Dear friends, are you quick to condemn?
“… Then the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees brought in a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They made her stand in the middle. ‘Master’, they said, ‘this woman has been caught in the act of adultery… ‘Let anyone among you who has no sin be the first to throw a stone at her… When they heard this, they went away one by one, starting with the elders… Has no one condemned you… Neither do I condemn you. Go, and do not sin again.”
John 8:1-11
In this gospel passage, we encounter the tale of a woman caught in the very act of adultery who is presented to Jesus. This narrative strongly emphasizes the themes of mercy, forgiveness, and the caution against casting judgement. By the way, if she was caught ‘in the very act of adultery’, what happened to her accomplice? Probably he was among those carrying stones to throw at her. “Let anyone among you who has no sin be the first to throw a stone at her” I am sure the accomplice, may have been the first among the elders, to have dropped his stone and left. This passage prompts introspection into our own tendencies to be judgemental and serves as a reminder of the grace Jesus offers us.
Dear friends, he that was actually without an atom of sin, Jesus himself, did not even condemn the woman; “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and do not sin again”. This underscores the value of compassion over condemnation, urging us to extend understanding and forgiveness to others rather than rushing to judge them.
Dear friends, let us learn to correct the other, with love
Let us pray.
Lord,
Teach us to embrace mercy as You did with the woman caught in adultery. Grant us the wisdom to refrain from casting stone and the need to recognize our own need of forgiveness. May Your grace inspire us to approach others with compassion and forgiveness, reflecting Your love.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Lord be with you.
