There are few people that we know better than the members of our own family and our closest friends. We know one another’s strengths and abilities, and we also know one another’s limitations and weaknesses. Like the Pharisees in the Gospel for the fifth Sunday of Lent, Year C, we may be tempted to focus on the faults and sins that familiarity with one another can sometimes reveal. As family members and friends, however, we also have the ability to see one another’s faults and sins within the context of the whole person. When we can keep this perspective, we are more likely to look upon one another with compassion. Sunday’s Gospel, in which Jesus forgives the woman caught in adultery, challenges us to see one another as God sees us, not with judgment and condemnation for our weaknesses and failings, but with mercy and compassion. When we learn to withhold judgment for the faults we know are there and seek the best in one another, we help one another to experience the depths of God’s compassion, mercy, and love.
Reflection/Discussion Questions
- Who is someone who knows your faults but sees them within the context of the whole person you are?
- What makes it so difficult for us to avoid judging others?
Enjoy an Arts & Faith: Lent reflection on this week’s Gospel.
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