“Neither Do I Condemn You. Go…….”

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 anymore.” (John 8:10-11)

So here I go again being reminded that I am an adulterer just like the woman in today’s Gospel. The scribes and the Pharisees wanted to test Jesus as they present her saying that the Law of Moses says she should be stoned to death. The familiar words of Jesus cut right through their hearts; “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 

I can take much comfort in the words of Jesus until I listen to him speak again to my heart; “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.” Considering that I just came from the confessional a few hours earlier, you know that I am a sinner. And secondly, there is still some scribe and Pharisee in me as I still find myself often making judgments about others that do not do the things I think they should be doing from the Law of Mike.

The grace I receive in confession is hard to explain. I prepare myself, seeking the power of the Holy Spirit to speak to my heart and soul to bring to mind the areas and sins of my life that separate me from God. Today, as prepared as I thought I was, the Spirit moves as it wills. I realized a big plank in my eye while I was trying to remove the splinter from the eye of another. Pride is a terrible sin.

The words of St. Paul in the 2^nd reading today from Philippians 3:13-14 give me hope in moving on from my sins and leave them in the ocean of God’s mercy as he says; “Brothers and sisters, I for my part do not consider myself to have taken possession. Just one thing: forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what lies ahead, I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God’s upward calling, in Christ Jesus.” I again strive to be perfect as my Heavenly Father is perfect and I can only do that in and through Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit so that I will be prepared to meet him at my particular judgment, ready to spend eternity with God forever. Amen.

Mike Burke; Sunday, March 13, 2016