March 14, 2013

The Gospel reading for this Sunday is from John 8:1-11. 
   The main topic of this reading is about forgiveness.  We are all sinners and we shouldn't judge others for what they do.  We don't have a place to judge because everyone does wrong things.  Jesus calls the people out for being judgemental.  Basically, don't judge people.  Ever.  You don't know what they are going through.  Instead of judging them, get to know them, and bring them closer to God. Don't discourage people. We all forget that everyone is weak and sometimes we are more judgemental to people within our own church if they do something bad.  No matter what we are all sinners and Jesus forgives us.  Even though we are all sinners we are not alone and there is room for improvement to get rid of our sins.  You can not justify your sin by saying that everyone else does it.  That doesn't make sin okay just because everyone else does it. Everyone has sin but we don't always recognize it is sin until it is brought to our attention.  We need to take a step back and look at our own sin and worry about ourselves and not others.  Judge yourself more than you judge others.  But be selfless and not selfish when it comes to giving. Sometimes when we are suffering, we grow closer to God.  The Pharisees must have been dull because they keep testing Jesus, but He keeps answering with better questions for them to reflect on and out smarting them.   Even the oldest and the wisest sin and make mistakes.  People with importance are not even perfect, which is why we should remember to pray for our leaders; religious and political.  In this reading it showed that the elders had humility since they walked away first.  It shows how much intelligence Jesus really had and how on top of everything he was.  He made people think and reflect about what they do. This reading reminded us about a few stories Fr. Jay has told in the past.  1.  Everyone is a genius, but if you judge a fish on it's ability to climb a tree, then it will live it's whole life believing that it is stupid.  2. Jesus said "Let the one among you without sin throw the first rock." A rock was thrown at the woman's head, so Jesus says, "Mother!" haha, get it, because Mary was sinless. 
   8 ¹ but Jesus went to the Mount of Olive. ² At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. ³ The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group ⁴ and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. ⁵ In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” ⁶ They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. ⁷ When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” ⁸ Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
⁹ At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. ¹⁰ Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
¹¹ “No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”