From The Bishop

In his commentary on the Gospel of St. John, St. Augustine speaks about the Gospel account we have presented to us for the Fifth Sunday of Lent (Jn 8:1-11). He believes that the encounter between Jesus and the woman caught in the act of committing adultery presents us with the essence of mercy. The woman who is in misery (misera) encounters the loving heart of Jesus (cordis) to create an experience of mercy (misericordia). In this passage we see that mercy is the loving gaze of Christ turned toward a sinner. In her humiliation the woman experiences the self-righteous condemnation of the Scribes and Pharisees; in her sorrow she experiences the mercy of Jesus. He tells her, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.” It is important to note that opening our hearts to God’s mercy requires more than simply feeling embarrassed or humiliated by our actions; we must acknowledge that we have sinned and be sorry for our actions. I am sure that once this woman experienced Jesus, like so many others in the Gospels, she was changed forever. Her humiliation turned to exaltation as she celebrated the love and mercy of Jesus. We are told in the Gospel that Jesus “wrote with his finger on the ground.” There must have been some significance to this gesture or St. John would not have recorded it in his Gospel. I think that it serves as a reminder to us all that God also writes on our souls with words of love not condemnation. To access this ‘message’ we need to enter the depths of our being and silently encounter the Divine author. Here we will have that life-changing encounter where ‘misery meets love’.