(The Woman Caught in Adultery)

-We always talk about forgiving others as our Lord forgives us…But do we remember to forgive ourselves? How do we deal with past sins?…That one sin or memory of failure that we allow to haunt us.

On this final Sunday before Holy Week, Christ looks at us as he looks at the woman caught in adultery, for we need the forgiveness of our sins. The question is: How do we LOOK back at Christ? With the self-righteous, yet guilty eyes of the mob?…. Or like the woman who remains alone before Jesus, who accepts with humble confidence the sentence of Christ who says: “Neither do I condemn you”.

-Again I ask…How do we look back when Jesus looks upon us with compassion?
-Do we Run away & hide in Shame?…Or do we just ignore Jesus in our righteous anger & continue in our life of futility & frustration apart from forgiveness?

The woman gives us the answer…She takes Jesus at His word…She believes Him…She then moves forward with her life by listening to Jesus’ advice…To get out of her present mess (adultery) & then move forward knowing she is forgiven.

And we read the Psalm…”Jesus does great things for us.” What is a greater gift than to have the authority & power to forgive our sins.

In the second reading St. Paul gives us an important tool to finding true
forgiveness of self…For the Apostle says…
“…Forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what lies ahead…”
-We cannot be held in the past by our previous sins & failures.

-Quit confessing sins you’ve already confessed.
-A sure sign that we have not forgiven ourselves for past transgressions is when we dredge up past acts that we have previously brought to confession.

-True forgiveness of self means we don’t deny history, but stop living in it…We don’t deny it exist, we don’t whitewash or alter it…Why, because it allows us to see where we’ve been…To learn from our mistakes & through the Power of Forgiveness…Leads us to a deeper appreciation of what the Lord Jesus has done for us…Leading to a deeper Joy & Love of God.

-The Sacrament of Confession reminds us that our past history is blotted out,
annihilated & We need this Sacramental Grace so we can LET GO OF THE PAST.
-Our Lord wants us to be a people not held captive by the past, but a people of HOPE BECAUSE WE LIVE WITH CHRIST IN THE PRESENT.

-May we follow the example of the woman caught in adultery…ITS DONE… you’re forgiven…Seek to get out of your present situation, so you can MOVE ON WITH YOUR LIFE…FOR I HAVE A FUTURE FOR YOU.