Catholic Mom Daily Gospel Reflections Logo with gold outlineToday's Gospel: John 8:1-11

Optional Memorial of Saint Turibius of Mogrovejo, Bishop

The words, “Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone,” are strong words. As humans we tend to notice the faults of others before we notice our own. Whether it is a family member, neighbor, or friend, we sometime are tempted to think to ourselves (or worse, actually say out loud) things like, “He shouldn’t be so mean,” or, “Why isn’t she going to communion? Did she miss Mass?” This week’s Gospel is here to remind us that we all do these things. We all sin. He knows us and our hearts. He knows the weakness we humans are prone to. This is why the sacrament of Confession is so important. It gives us the chance to repent our sins and to “Go, and sin no more.”

So, if we are tempted to point out the faults in others, we, too, must realize that we are sinners. In fact, treating others with such contempt is sinful in itself. Perhaps this is what Jesus was writing in the sand so long ago: the sins of the accusers. We will never know. However, we do know that Jesus knows us and how we treat each other. Perhaps He is the only one qualified to keep track of our sins. Even our priests do not keep “score” of our sins. They hear our confessions, and if we repent, we are forgiven. So, then, who are we to hold others’ sins against them?

Ponder:

Have I judged someone today and treated them poorly because of their sin? If so, what can I do to change my attitude?

Pray:

Jesus, help me to be a help to others rather than a source of pain. If I see something wrong, give me the grace to help others, not hurt them.

We thank our friends at The Word Among Us for providing our gospel reflection team with copies of Abide In My Word 2015: Mass Readings at Your Fingertips. To pray the daily gospels with this wonderful resource, visit The Word Among Us.

Copyright 2015 Jennifer Gladen