Mar
25
A woman who had been caught in adultery
March 25, 2007 | Leave a Comment
3: The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst
4: they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery.
5: Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such. What do you say about her?”
6: This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.
7: And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”
8: And once more he bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.
9: But when they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the eldest, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him.
10: Jesus looked up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
11: She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and do not sin again.”
This powerful gospel points out that Jesus came not to stone sinners but to save them. How merciful has Jesus been to forgive those of us who sin. By the institution of the holy sacrament of Reconciliation we are given the opportunity to confess our sins and be assured of absolution from the condemnation we surely deserve. Jesus did not
explain away adultery, nor did He send the woman away without advising her not to sin again. We, who have been given God’s forgiveness, bear an obligation to firmly resolve to sin no more. It is not acceptable to sin on Friday knowing that on Saturday we can receive the Holy Sacrament of Reconciliation and be re-cycled. Such presumption makes a mockery of the mercy of Jesus and by so doing we risk the fires of eternal damnation.
“O my God,
I am heartily sorry for
having offended Thee,
and I detest all my sins,
because I dread the loss of heaven,
and the pains of hell;
but most of all because
they offend Thee, my God,
Who are all good and
deserving of all my love.
I firmly resolve,
with the help of Thy grace,
to confess my sins,
to do penance,
and to amend my life. Amen.”
