"I have loved you with an everlasting love...And I know the plans I have for you says the Lord"
Jeremiah:29-31
“Go and sin no more” Being the only one without sin, Jesus could have, strictly speaking, thrown the first stone. But he does not do that; he does not condemn her. In her look he understands that this woman has not yet been able to have an authentic human life, one that is willed by God. She has not yet been truly loved for herself…. In the hands of the scribes and Pharisees, then, this woman is nothing but an object, a “pretext” to accuse Jesus. Not being loved for herself, how could this woman ever grasp the truth about loving others and the kind of love God requires between a man and woman? This is a concrete illustration of what human beings have become because of sin: they crave one another, they use one another to their own advantage, almost as if they were objects. Jesus came especially to redeem human beings from this situation, to manifest to them how much they are loved for themselves, freely, without any preconditions…. He does not love the woman the way the others have, that is, to possess her, to use her like property. He makes a gift of love wholly directed toward her; he wants her finally to recover her dignity as a woman and as a full-fledged human being, the way the Father has wanted for her. Only after she discovers the blossoming of this love will the woman find—in this fountain now flowing in her innermost being—the capacity to love others for themselves the way she is loved. The statement Jesus addresses to her--Go, and do not sin again—is not a threat. It is an invitation, although an urgent one, of course, because it allows for the freely given love lavished on her by the Father to permeate her whole existence and her relationships with others. From the moment that she knows she is loved, and loved this way, the woman should now learn to love in light and in truth herself…. Her terror now behind her, the woman experiences Jesus’ gaze of mercy as balm that flows into her heart. No man has ever looked at her that way! What new confidence Jesus’ Go must have instilled in the woman! At that moment it meant, “Go back to living, to hoping; go back home; return to your dignity as a woman; announce to the men, just through your presence among them, that there is not only the law, there is also grace; there is not only justice, there is also mercy.” Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa Comments are closed.
|
Author
I'm not really a writer, but it's on my long list of aspirations to become one. The first on the list is to become a great Saint! My hope is to share knowledge and inspiration as we walk together during our pilgrim journey on earth and guide each other, hand in hand to the gates of Heaven... If you for find this website helpful please consider making a donation today! Archives
March 2024
Categories
All
|