I am reminded of a time I went to Ecuador with a group of students. One day, a group of men broke into the room and stole all sorts of things: passports, money, valuables. The men were caught and we had to go to the trial. We actually pleaded for their mercy. I will never forget the men in handcufts coming up to me in tears and praying for a blessing. Its easy to love the little kids, its harder to love someone in the face of sin.
The gospel today presents a very interesting interplay between justice and mercy. Jesus has a trap set for him: if he approves the Mosaic law to stone this woman, not only will they kill her without a moment’s hesitation but he will be turned into the Roman’s for consenting to capital punishment against their ruling. If he says no, then he is guilty of breaking Mosaic law.
Jesus peaks the truth, delivers it meekly and judges righteously. The truth is the great guiding light between justice and mercy, it highlight not only the full image. In the court of God, we who plead guilt are given mercy.
He used meekness not violence against his enemies. He judges with righteousness though. He bowed down and wrote in the ground. These people judged by the earth not by heaven. They also hated the sinner in the place of the sin. He who was the one who wrote the law. He is not calling the sin not a sin.
Before God, we are called in Justice to declare our sins and ourselves as sinners. Yet, in so doing, God gives us mercy rather than punishment. “He who is without sin cast the first stone. They all walk away. We all have sins and we all are sinners.
Sins of omission. We can commit a sin by commission, by a willed action contrary to God’s law that breaks our relationship, but also by omission. Sins of omission are very common. It is failing to do what we should do. We can see three levels of omission: 1st if direct omission: I willing choose that I don’t want to do something I should. This can never ever be willed. 2nd is exterior or ‘accidental’ omission: this is when you will to do something else voluntarily and by so doing you do not do something you should. 3rd is unintentional omission where you out of your power omit doing what is right. We can all say at some point we have omitted, we can also have sins of omission when we cooperate in the sin of another: I have a child that need to do something and I don’t help them. Or if I know someone is going to do something wrong and I don’t say anything to stop them.
Walk them through an examination of conscience. See in each one how you may have committed something or omitted something.