Sunday March 25, 2007
The Fifth Sunday of Lent
March 25, 2007
“Jesus said to them (the scribes, Pharisees and people in the temple, ‘Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”
John 8:7
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Throwing stones. A woman caught in adultery back in the day of Jesus could legally be murdered by people throwing stones at her because of her offence. So many times I throw stones and I do not want to go with their go and flow with their flow but I go with their go and flow with their flow and become the person I do not want to be. I judge, I condemn, I point the finger, I assume the worst and have the person sentenced to prison before their trial, there is no hint of mercy coming from my thoughts and being- and I throw stones. When will I learn, Lord? When can I become like you and not throw stones? But I continue to act like a mercenary and go with the go and flow with the flow of condemning others. I so much want to know with God’s know, and go with his go, and flow with his flow but I choose the opposite and become an enemy of his way.
Time for a little general confession to you. I took a trip to the Midwest to do some speaking. In the morning before I boarded the plane, I prayed that the Lord would give me an opportunity to share his amazing, salvific, transforming, infinite love with people on the plane. It would be up to the Lord and I would just try to follow the Holy Spirit’s lead. Some people say this is praying for a Divine Appointment and you can call it that or whatever you want. I was sitting by the window and I will have to admit that the first thoughts I had of the woman sitting next to me were not the most Christ-like. In her late 50’s, elegantly dressed, talking on her cell phone, I boxed her in with my all too small heart as a prissy person. Then, the flight attendant came by and asked her to silence her cell and stop using it as the plane began to taxi. And, guess what? She kept talking and I became a little more perturbed at Miss Priss because now she was breaking the moral law of talking on her cell when she was instructed not to do so. Isn’t it amazing how quickly we can try and hang someone?
I was wearing my collar and after about ten minutes into the flight she turned to me and asked, “Are you an ordained minister?” I told her I was a Roman Catholic priest. She responded with how much she loved the Lord as a Baptist, had raised her two kids in the purity of God’s ways and that her two kids had both married wonderful Catholic Christians and had converted to Catholicism. As you might surmise by now, all the while she was sharing this with me I was repenting in my heart for throwing killing stones at her. And I repent to you right now because I do not want to go with their go and flow with their flow. I want to do a 180 and know with Jesus’ know and go with his go and flow with his flow. Please pray for me to that end as I will for you!
I have never literally thrown stones at some but I have figuratively and I see it as severe and death-dealing. Jesus did not thrown literal or figurative stones at the woman caught in adultery. He embraced her with open arms of unconditional love. What is your life more about?
Live the confronted life!
+Fr. John
Time for a little general confession to you. I took a trip to the Midwest to do some speaking. In the morning before I boarded the plane, I prayed that the Lord would give me an opportunity to share his amazing, salvific, transforming, infinite love with people on the plane. It would be up to the Lord and I would just try to follow the Holy Spirit’s lead. Some people say this is praying for a Divine Appointment and you can call it that or whatever you want. I was sitting by the window and I will have to admit that the first thoughts I had of the woman sitting next to me were not the most Christ-like. In her late 50’s, elegantly dressed, talking on her cell phone, I boxed her in with my all too small heart as a prissy person. Then, the flight attendant came by and asked her to silence her cell and stop using it as the plane began to taxi. And, guess what? She kept talking and I became a little more perturbed at Miss Priss because now she was breaking the moral law of talking on her cell when she was instructed not to do so. Isn’t it amazing how quickly we can try and hang someone?
I was wearing my collar and after about ten minutes into the flight she turned to me and asked, “Are you an ordained minister?” I told her I was a Roman Catholic priest. She responded with how much she loved the Lord as a Baptist, had raised her two kids in the purity of God’s ways and that her two kids had both married wonderful Catholic Christians and had converted to Catholicism. As you might surmise by now, all the while she was sharing this with me I was repenting in my heart for throwing killing stones at her. And I repent to you right now because I do not want to go with their go and flow with their flow. I want to do a 180 and know with Jesus’ know and go with his go and flow with his flow. Please pray for me to that end as I will for you!
I have never literally thrown stones at some but I have figuratively and I see it as severe and death-dealing. Jesus did not thrown literal or figurative stones at the woman caught in adultery. He embraced her with open arms of unconditional love. What is your life more about?
Live the confronted life!
+Fr. John
posted by Patti @ 9:58 AM
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