Daily Gospel Reflection
Join the Notre Dame family of faith. Receive God’s Word and a unique reflection in your inbox each day.
March 18, 2024
Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
But early in the morning he arrived again in the temple area,
and all the people started coming to him,
and he sat down and taught them.
Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman
who had been caught in adultery
and made her stand in the middle.
They said to him,
“Teacher, this woman was caught
in the very act of committing adultery.
Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women.
So what do you say?”
They said this to test him,
so that they could have some charge to bring against him.
Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger.
But when they continued asking him,
he straightened up and said to them,
“Let the one among you who is without sin
be the first to throw a stone at her.”
Again he bent down and wrote on the ground.
And in response, they went away one by one,
beginning with the elders.
So he was left alone with the woman before him.
Then Jesus straightened up and said to her,
“Woman, where are they?
Has no one condemned you?”
She replied, “No one, sir.”
Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you.
Go, and from now on do not sin any more.”
The scribes and the Pharisees set out to trap Jesus by using the law and risking the life of a woman. But what is Jesus’s response? Jesus does not rebuke them for misunderstanding Mosaic law or criticize their concept of justice. Instead, he cuts to the heart of the matter—their own hearts—and asks a question: who of you has not sinned?
Often, I have heard this passage and dwelt on the woman, the accused. She has a significant role to play and receives an amazing experience of the personal mercy of God. But what of the others? What is Jesus calling them to? He does not ask them to abandon the law or condone adultery but, as always, invites them to share in his mission. Jesus came to call sinners to himself, and he answered the Pharisees’ test by asking them to open themselves to the truth and be convicted of their own sins.
As I have gotten older and my wife and I have started our family, many parts of adulthood have grown easier: learning to go without sleep, foregoing evening plans, or passing on some weekend events. One that has not though, is coming to grips with my sinfulness.
I have tried countless times to make a daily examen with little success. Most often, halfway through, I fall asleep. But, the reality is that not taking the time to come to grips with the hurts or slights I dole out deadens God’s call in my life. Understanding where I fall regularly can be an avenue to where God’s love can regularly meet me.
Jesus does not want us to be ashamed but convicted toward repentance. He wants us to understand that we need his love and mercy and that it is always present if we only ask for it. Who among us has not sinned? Who amongst us should not rejoice in God’s mercy?
Prayer
Good and loving God, we desire to live your law rightly, but at times we lose sight of your call for us to love. Have mercy on us, and grant us the courage and strength to act mercifully with everyone we meet. Convert our hearts, that we may draw others to you with our love. Amen.
