Earthscape artist Andres Amador creates sand art inspired by fractals using a rake. His drawings on the beaches look stunning from an aerial view—only to be washed away by the tide soon after.

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus encounters a woman caught in adultery. Pharisees challenge him by citing Moses’ law for stoning. Jesus stoops twice to write on the ground. Theories about Jesus’ writing include listing the Pharisees’ names and sins (Jer 17:13) or demonstrating Jesus’ divine authority to issue new commandments on love. While the exact content remains unknown, spiritual writers imagine that Jesus wrote “Forgiven” after the crowd dispersed.

God’s forgiveness, like Amador’s fractal designs, creates a repeating pattern— an endless loop. Unlike sand art washed away by tides, God’s forgiveness and love endure, unaffected by the ebb and flow of our sins and iniquities.

As [Susanna] was being led to execution, God stirred up the holy spirit of a young boy named Daniel, and he cried aloud: “I will have no part in the death of this woman.” All the people turned and asked him, “What is this you are saying?” He stood in their midst and continued, “Are you such fools, O children of Israel! To condemn a woman of Israel without examination and without clear evidence? Return to court, for they have testified falsely against her.”

Then all the people returned in haste. To Daniel the elders said, “Come, sit with us and inform us, since God has given you the prestige of old age.” But he replied, “Separate these two far from each other that I may examine them.”

After they were separated one from the other, he called one of them and said: “How you have grown evil with age! Now have your past sins come to term: passing unjust sentences, condemning the innocent, and freeing the guilty, although the Lord says, ‘The innocent and the just you shall not put to death.’ (…) Daniel replied, “Your fine lie has cost you also your head, for the angel of God waits with a sword to cut you in two so as to make an end of you both.”

The whole assembly cried aloud, blessing God who saves those who hope in him. They rose up against the two elders, for by their own words Daniel had convicted them of perjury…

“Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side.”

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.”