Jesus 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.” (Jn 8:1-11)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/040625-YearC.cfm
The richest man in the world has said that the fundamental weakness of civilization is empathy (compassion). They once asked Jesus his opinion of empathy, and Jesus answered: “Let the one without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Do we follow the values of the richest man in the world, or do we follow Jesus, the Compassionate?
These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
Sunday V, Lent
