​Reflection for the 5th Sunday of Lent

by Sr Rosalee Burke, ND

“Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” How long would it have taken you to leave if you had been there? I bet I would have been one of the first to “slip away”. If we have lived any length of time at all, we have sinned. Maybe we have been blessed to only commit small sins but we have sinned.

The attitude change of this crowd is impressive. They were willing to stone the woman caught in adultery. They moved from “ready to stone” to “slipping away”. This section of Christ’s teaching is very quiet and powerful. “Neither do I condemn you.”

I find it so easy to judge or condemn others. Yet this Gospel reminds me that it is not my job to judge others. It is my job to live as well as I can and to encourage others to do likewise. We will live better lives if we let God do the judging.