BLESSED ARE THE MERCIFUL FOR THEY SHALL OBTAIN MERCY

"NEITHER DO I CONDEMN YOU. GO AND
FROM NOW ON, DO NOT SIN ANYMORE."

As we proceed in our Lenten pilgrimage, today we are enriched by the unforgettable example of Jesus who offers His forgiveness and restores dignity to the adulterous woman who had been dragged in front of Him in shame and fear. The teaching of mercy and forgiveness conveyed last Sunday through a parable, today is offered us through an example from real life.

The challenging sentence: “Let the one among you who has no sin be the first to cast a stone” is directed not only to the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees of two thousand years ago, but also to those among us who easily judge and condemn others. We should never forget that we, too, are frail and sinful, and that we must learn to be merciful if we want to enjoy God’s mercy.

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 any more.”

FAMILY: CRADLE OF LIFE AND LOVE

"LET THE CHILDREN COME TO ME; DO NOT PREVENT THEM,
FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD BELONGS TO SUCH AS THESE."

Today’s liturgical readings remind us that the family is the first and basic institution of human society. Its nature and purpose are inscribed in the very makeup of man and woman who are incomplete in themselves. This is why they need the help of “the other half” to reach their full potentials and satisfy their affective, emotional, and physical needs.

Unfortunately, sin has sown in many families the seeds of selfishness and unfaithfulness, which lead to most painful breakups. Jesus, who came to restore all aspects of our life to their original integrity, today reminds us of God’s plan for the human family and enjoins all to keep it the way God designed it to be. Thus let us remember in our prayers all families.

Tomorrow is World Teachers’ Day. As we celebrate this Eucharist, let our prayers for all teachers express our gratitude for the countless ways they have touched our lives.

The Pharisees approached Jesus and asked, “Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?” They were testing him. He said to them in reply, “What did Moses command you?”

They replied, “Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce and dismiss her.” But Jesus told them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts he wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate.”

In the house the disciples again questioned Jesus about this. He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

People were bringing children to Jesus that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” Then he embraced the children and blessed them, placing his hands on them.