Daily Gospel Reflection for April 3, 2022

Join us as we reflect, ponder, and pray together inspired by today's Gospel.

Today's Gospel: John 8:1-11

Stones and rocks are a source of fascination in our house. My son has a “treasure box” filled with stones from various places. We paint rocks. We skip stones. With all these positive connotations, I am always struck by the power of a stone or a rock to do harm to another.

Today’s Gospel is one of many where Jesus subverts the paradigm. The Pharisees are both men and religious authorities and therefore they are powerful.

The woman caught in adultery is both a woman and a sinner and is therefore deemed powerless. The Pharisees live their lives interwoven with the Law. The woman caught in adultery breaks a foundational commandment and finds herself on the wrong side of the Law.

Yet, only she remains standing with Jesus.

This Gospel reminds me that I, too, am a Pharisee. There are places in my life where I command certain powers and authority. There are places where I condemn certain sinners through judgment and dismissal. It is through Jesus’ abundant grace that I, too, can examine my sins and failings. It is through Jesus’ example that I can grow in love.

As for the woman caught in adultery, she, too, will grow in love. Not because she was forced to face her sin, but because she was forgiven despite it. Jesus remained standing with her, in a gesture of tenderness and mercy that we should never forget.

Ponder:

How do I act like a Pharisee in my own life?

Pray:

God of mercy, help me to examine areas of my own life where I am blind to my own power, judgment and sin. Please guide me down the path of tenderness so that I may love like You.