Come, sit in this chair
—receive God’s love.

It is easy to see where others have gone wrong and to judge them. In fact, a preoccupation with the failings of others can effectively keep our minds and hearts from recognising our own sin! Perhaps that is what Jesus spells out on the ground in today’s Gospel—our own sins and hypocrisy. Whether we are busybodies or just plain busy, our attachments can keep us from seeing ourselves clearly. The disciplines of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving bring us back to the basic truth of who we are before God. It can be frightening to let go of all the externals but St. Paul reminds us today that these are rubbish. All that matters is what lies ahead, the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. Standing before Jesus, the woman caught in adultery has nothing to fear. He tells her not to sin again and offers her forgiveness, not condemnation. In the sacrament of Reconciliation, Jesus offers us not punishment but love. If attachments have kept you from reading the writing on the ground, come, sit in this chair—receive God’s love.

Action: Consider what it would cost you to forgive and what you could gain