Mercy and Love

04-06-2025Weekly ReflectionFr. Bing Colasito

Like the Gospel last Sunday, Jesus brings us closer to the heart of the mystery of His Divine Mercy. He shows mercy to the woman caught in adultery. When the elders were ready to condemn the woman, Jesus showed mercy and did not condemn her. “Neither do I condemn you.” Rather than condemnation, the Lord showed her unconditional love and forgiveness. We can all be confident of God’s mercy no matter how unworthy we are! With the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus tried to win their hearts and minds to extend mercy to the woman, but pride kept them from doing so.

The scribes and Pharisees expose the woman with malice in their hearts so that they can find fault in the judgment of Jesus. Their ultimate goal is to trap Jesus and find errors in His teachings to indict Him. But unlike the elders, Jesus uplifts the dignity and spirit of the woman. Jesus knew their motives and their conscience and did not want to expose the woman to further humiliation. As He stoops down and writes on the ground, the accusers hear the words of Jesus in their conscience: “He who has no sin, cast the first stone.” They all left, starting from the elders, because the truth of the matter is they had bigger sins than hers. Let us not be too quick in accusing and condemning others. Instead, like Jesus, let us be more compassionate, understanding, and forgiving when others fall or sin.

Alone with Jesus, the woman discovers the wonders of God’s mercy in LOVE and TRUTH. The woman received something no one ever extended to her: MERCY for her sins and LOVE. Her life suddenly changed; she experienced conversion: “The past is history, the future is a mystery, but the present moment is a gift, a GRACE from God.” None of her past sins mattered now, before Jesus. His words liberated her: “I do not condemn you; go and sin no more.” In the eyes of the people and the Jewish leaders, she was a hopeless case; the only thing that could save her from further embarrassment was the punishment of death. Instead, she experiences LOVE.

We can all associate ourselves with the woman. We are all sinners, perhaps even worse. We are fortunate that no one exposes our sins before public scrutiny and that our God is slow to anger and rich in mercy; He is also gentle. Perhaps a visit to our conscience or a good examination of conscience would help us feel sorrow for our sins. Like the younger son in the Parable of the Prodigal Son, the more distant we are from God, the heavier our guilt. Remember, when everyone has abandoned us, like the woman, our only hope is to remain with JESUS, experience His divine mercy, and receive His assurance: “Neither do I condemn you.” Jesus does not condone sin but purifies it. He wants to bring out the best in us, especially those persecuted and maligned by society.

It is true that the woman was caught in adultery and humiliated publicly. But Jesus exposes the hypocrisy of her accusers. It is not about her—those who condemned her had bigger sins. No one cast the first stone because everyone realized they were as guilty as her. Mercy starts when we stop judging and accusing others. Instead, be more compassionate, understanding, and forgiving towards all. Our past is in God’s mercy and love, but our future is in His hand. What matters most, in the end, is that we did not give up on God, we did not give up on others, and we did not give up on ourselves.