Reflection - Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent

We may be tempted to identify with various people in today’s Gospel passage. Perhaps I am the person caught in sin. I am ashamed of my actions, embarrassed to be recognized publicly, and scared of what others might do to me now that they have discovered my wrongdoing. I may identify with the people in the crowd. I try hard to live my life the right way, but there are people like this woman who are sinning all the time! What am I to do about them?

Interestingly, it is not uncommon for a penitent to spend a few minutes in the confessional trying to confess the sins of others and how frustrated he or she is with them. My response as a confessor is to ask how the penitent person has reached out to help other sinners. The answer usually involves the penitent berating or ostracizing other sinners. Where is reconciliation in that situation?

Jesus says to the people in the crowd, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” He does not say, “Abandon her and go away.” Yet, the people in the crowd leave, one at a time. And so, this woman is not only accused of sinning, she also is left to face Jesus alone. The people are rightly ashamed of their attempt to stone this woman, given that they are all guilty of some sin. However, where is their compassion for this woman once they realize their own faults, once they come to terms with their own guilt? In other words, when are they going to reconcile with this woman as she now reconciles with God?

If we identify with the woman caught in adultery, then we accept that we have sinned. We pray for and receive God’s mercy. Yet, there is also Jesus’ command that we do not sin anymore! That is, if we accept God’s mercy, we must also change our ways.

If we identify with the people in the crowd, rather than casting stones or abandoning the sinner we encounter, then we must act as Jesus did. We should stand by that person. We should help them both to find God’s mercy and to convert their hearts as we have.
 

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