{"id":3768,"date":"2016-03-11T14:24:57","date_gmt":"2016-03-11T19:24:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.scarboromissions.ca\/?p=3768"},"modified":"2019-10-10T11:52:24","modified_gmt":"2019-10-10T16:52:24","slug":"the-merciful-face-of-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scarboromissions.ca\/spiritual-reflections\/the-merciful-face-of-god","title":{"rendered":"The merciful face of God"},"content":{"rendered":"
A reflection by Paige Souter on the Fifth Sunday of Lent Gospel reading: John 8:1-11 \u201cJesus 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, \u2018Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.\u2019 And again he bent down and wrote on the ground.\u201d <\/em>(John 8:6-8)<\/p>\n This Fifth Sunday of Lent we hear the story of the adulterous woman who is brought before Jesus. In the story, the scribes and Pharisees challenge Jesus to respond to the law. They demand that the woman be stoned to death. But Jesus surprises everyone\u2014the village men, the woman, and us, the reader. Rather than convey scorn and condemnation towards the woman, or ridicule and frustration towards the men, Jesus shows the patient, tender, and merciful face of God. He not only shows mercy to the woman, he leads the men to be merciful as well.<\/p>\n In his book, No Man is an Island<\/em>, Thomas Merton explains: \u201cWe can have the mercy of God whenever we want it, by being merciful to others: for it is God\u2019s mercy that acts on them, through us, when He leads us to treat them as He is treating us.\u201d (211) In the biblical story, Jesus shows the village men what it means to be merciful by being merciful to them first.<\/p>\n Jesus could have chosen to respond to the demanding and angry crowd with shouting and harsh words of rebuke. He could have chosen to look down on the crowd by standing on a rock or on higher ground thereby speaking from a physical position of authority. But Jesus surprises us and responds with patience and gentleness. Rather than speak from a position of power, he chooses to bend down and doodle, listening to the crowd as they continue to demand an answer from him. Sensing the right moment, Jesus stands and the crowd quiets down to listen to him. With compassion, Jesus says: \u201cLet the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.\u201d (John 8:7)<\/p>\n
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“We can have the mercy of God whenever we want it, by being merciful to others…” (Thomas Merton)<\/em><\/h4>\n<\/blockquote>\n