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Manila Bulletin devider Opinion devider A woman caught in adultery

A woman caught in adultery

Published Apr 5, 2025 04:03 pm

REFLECTIONS TODAY

Rich in what matters to God

 

Gospel • John 8:1-11

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.”
 

Whispering mercy 


Feel the embrace of God’s mercy. In deep silence, let us hear God’s gentle yet powerful voice. Let us be guided by his mercy toward the newness of life that is filled with hope. Pope Francis, in his homily upon his assumption of his office as the Bishop of Rome, accentuated that God’s mercy is a beautiful truth of our faith, lifting us up and leading us on. 


Moreover, we recall the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy (2015-2016) which he declared during the third year of his pontificate (cf. Misericordiae Vultus), a year intended for the remission of sins and of universal pardon. The Holy Father summoned the whole Church to embark on a journey while living up to the challenge of recognizing the face of God that is mercy. If we are to be renewed as individuals and as a Church, the first step is to intently listen to God’s voice that whispers to us God’s great love and unfathomable mercy.


Today’s Gospel passage invites us to reflect on God’s love and mercy and be challenged to act accordingly. It narrates Jesus’ encounter with the woman caught committing adultery. The scribes and Pharisees are in the background. They bring the woman to Jesus, wanting to test Jesus so that they could have some charge to accuse him of. They invoke the Law of Moses (Lv 20:10; Dt 22:22-24) as they seem to have already judged the woman. They have ill intent against the woman and against Jesus. With such ill intention, they are not disposed to hear the divine whisper—the whisper of mercy. 


Jesus’ silence, as he writes on the ground, exposes what is in their hearts. The ill intention that they have is exposed not only to the world around them but is also exposed to their own sensibility. They refuse to hear God’s whisper of mercy to the point that Jesus must have reminded them that the God who has given them the Law is the same God who now asks them to practice it with its true spirit—in the exercise of mercy and compassion (Hos 6:6). 


The reminder is an invitation to receive the embrace of God’s mercy, but sadly, they turn their backs (Jer 17:13) from God’s offer of new life. They leave one by one, beginning with the elders. Only the woman remains to welcome the loving embrace of God’s mercy and compassion. Furthermore, the whisper of God’s mercy never ends there. Jesus exhorts the woman not to sin anymore. Thus in the end, God’s whisper of mercy is always aimed at our conversion to become better persons.

 

Source: “365 Days with the Lord 2025,” St. Paul’s, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.

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