Fifth Sunday of Lent

Readings: Isaiah 43.16-21, Philippians 3.8-14, John 8.1-11

A familiar phrase is heard from the lips of Jesus in the gospel today for the fifth Sunday of Lent. "If there is one of you who have not sinned, let him be the first to cast the stone." The woman caught in adultery was to be stoned to death this was the law. Jesus was a rabbi, an interpreter of the law, the people wanted to know what was his opinion? What wisdom would he have for the gathered crowd, intent on carrying out this barbaric practice of stoning a woman to death.

The interesting thing is that Jesus could well have been the first to throw a stone at the women, he was without sin. Yet he does not. If that was all he said then we could go around and justify bad behavior, after all it looks like Jesus will just forgive us anyway. the we hear Jesus say a few more words, this time to the women. he says to her " I do not condemn her, he forgives her, but he tells her not to sin anymore. This is a very important aspect for forgiveness, for mercy, for being reconciled to God and the community again, a resolve not to sin anymore alter we have been granted mercy from God. In his book "The Church of Mercy" Pope Francis says.

"If we all of us accept the grace of Jesus Christ, he changes our heart and from sinners makes us saints. To become holy, we do not need to turn our eyes away and look somewhere else. No, no, that is not necessary. To become saints only one thing is necessary: to accept the grace that the Father gives us ion Jesus Christ. There this grace changes our heart. We continue to be sinners for we are weak, but with this grace which makes us feel that the Lord is good, that the Lord is merciful, that the Lord waits for us, that the Lord pardons us- this immense grace that changes our heart.

It is change of heart which enables the woman to go away in peace, with the command do not sin anymore. It is the grace of Jesus that enables us to leave the confessional determined to have a change of heart too, which brings us peace. We may sin again, but as our hearts slowly change, turning towards the face of Christ, then our lives become more as Christ would want them to be.