Fifth Sunday of Lent
Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?
John 8:10
True confession: I find it hard to go to Confession. I feel ashamed of my sins and disappointed with myself. But I go. And the reason is contained in today’s Gospel reading. A woman’s sin became public knowledge and a lynch mob hauled her into the street. Along the way to execute judgment, they brought her to Jesus to see what he thought. Jesus challenged them in a way they couldn’t handle, and they slunk away. No one left to condemn you? Jesus asked the woman. Well, “neither do I condemn you.” In other words, you are forgiven.
Had the woman been silently praying for forgiveness? Maybe. But who knows? In any case, unexpectedly face to face with Jesus, she heard him offering her God’s forgiveness. It was as though he had been waiting for her—waiting from all eternity for that moment, to tell her that he did not condemn her. This is what draws me to Confession: Jesus, waiting for me, also.
Kevin Perrotta
Originally published March 17, 2013
