5th SUNDAY of LENT

Gospel Bullet Points (John 8:1-11)

• The Gospel relates an incident about a woman who was caught in the very act of adultery. While Jesus was teaching in the temple area, the Scribes and Pharisees brought him a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. Pointing their accusing fingers at her, they said, “Master, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. Now the Law of Moses orders that such a woman be stoned to death; but you, what do you say?”
• Jesus threw the burden of the problem to the Scribes and the Pharisees with his advice: “Let the men among you who have no sin be the first to cast the stone at her,” exposing their own self-righteousness Thinking of these words, they must have realized their hidden faults and become ashamed of them.
•   The Lord – even though he could have judged because He has no sins – never uttered a word of condemnation. All he offered was the love of God and that love enabled the woman to start a new life. “You may go, from now on sin no more.”  Jesus did not tolerate the woman but challenged her to sin no more.
•  The story has one simple truth to tell us: GOD IS MERCIFUL. GOD IS FORGIVING! All of us are called to be people who do not carry stories of condemnation but are to be like Jesus, a people of compassion, who forgive others as God forgives.
• God is a God of Love and Compassion. He loves us even in our own sinfulness. Let us promise Him to be compassionate and commit ourselves to do exactly as He tells us: GO YOUR WAY AND SIN NO MORE.