June 2018 SPECIAL EDITION April, 2015 Newsletter | Page 8

April 2015
Continued from page18

condemn you either. So, go and don’t do that sin
anymore.” Jesus not only does not stone her, he
doesn’t punish her at all. He lets her go. Mercy
wins out!
There are two additional facts about the story of the Adulterous Woman that make it special.
In none of the stories I have mentioned does anyone ask for forgiveness (and, of course, God grants
forgiveness in each case). The Prodigal Son,
though, asks for a job from his father, a symbol of
God the Father. He at least implies he wants a restored relationship. And, the Good Thief asks to be
“remembered,” also implying he wants a connection with the Son of God, Jesus. The Adulterous
Woman, however, never asks for anything of the
kind. In fact, she doesn’t ask for anything at all.
She’s totally passive. And, that brings me to the

next point. Both the Prodigal Son and the Good Thief
initiate contact. Each is proactive. The Adulterous
Woman, on the other hand, is a lump of clay. She
doesn’t approach Jesus. She’s dragged to him.
The people of Jesus’ time would have been flabbergasted by the story of the Adulterous Woman. And,
two thousand years later, so should we be. Yes, Jesus
tells us we should imitate him; and that gives us an
astoundingly hard mandate. We too should trump justice with mercy. But, here’s the flip side, an enormously comforting flip side. Jesus’ actions are universal, not
exclusive. Jesus trumps justice with mercy not just for
the Adulterous Woman but for you and me also. And,
my sisters and brothers, I hope you, like I, find that both
incredible and mind blowing.

Candlelight Rosary
for Life
Monday, May 25, 2015, 7:30 p.m.
VOL Shrine to the Unborn
Join us in praying for fallen soldiers who have died for our freedom and
for the unborn who are not free to live.
Families may bring long-stemmed flowers to place at the Shrine in memory of an
infant or child, or a fallen soldier

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