Reflection for March 23 Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent: John 8:1-11

Gospel: John 8:1-11

Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. But early in the morning he arrived again in the temple area,and all the people started coming to him, and he sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her stand in the middle.  

They said to him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” They said this to test him, so that they could have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger. But when they continued asking him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”  

Again he bent down and wrote on the ground. And in response, they went away one by one, beginning with the elders. So he was left alone with the woman before him. 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.”

+ + + + + + +

Reflection:

How do we respond when we encounter someone we consider a sinner? Do we quickly condemn, or silently pass judgment? Do we distance ourselves, as if their brokenness might somehow stain us? If we are honest, we may recognize in ourselves a tendency toward aversion and judgment.

In the Gospel, the Pharisees and scribes brought before Jesus a woman caught in the act of adultery. They were ready to condemn her, to stone her, to end her life in the name of the law. Yet in their zeal to judge, they seemed to forget something essential—they, too, were sinners in need of mercy. Was it forgetfulness, or was it pride that blinded them?

Then Jesus spoke—calmly, truthfully, and with authority that pierced the heart: “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” In that moment, everything changed. One by one, they walked away, confronted not by the woman’s sin, but by their own.

And so it is with us. Whenever we are quick to judge others, we are invited to look within. We may hide our sins from others, even from those closest to us, but nothing is hidden from Jesus. He sees us fully—our thoughts, our struggles, our hidden faults—and yet He does not turn away. Instead, He looks at us with love, offering mercy and the chance to begin again.

What, then, should we do when we encounter those who have fallen? Let us choose not to judge, for we, too, stand in need of grace. Let us become channels of Christ’s love, extending mercy instead of condemnation, compassion instead of rejection. For in Jesus, no sin is greater than His mercy, and no sinner is beyond hope.

Now the question remains for all of us: when we stand before the brokenness of others, will we hold stones in our hands—or will we open our hearts and become instruments of God’s mercy? —Marino J. Dasmarinas