Monday of the 5th Week of Lent

What must have been going on in this woman’s mind? Here she was caught in the act of adultery, with nothing to say for herself. Exposed in her sin, she cringed before the people ready to stone her for her wrongdoing. Not only that, here she was, brought before a prophet, a truly holy man. So many of Israel’s elders had judged her worthy of death, so what would Jesus do?
Jesus forgave her! What elation she must have felt! What relief and joy must have coursed through her! What a sense of her own unworthiness in the face of this freely given absolution! In that moment, she was transformed by a personal encounter with the living mercy of God. Not only that, it empowered her to go and sin no more.
What goes through your mind as you stand in line for Confession? Do you squirm at the prospect of being so vulnerable? It’s only natural. Maybe you’re a little worried about what other people might be thinking about you. But the truth is, the best place for us to stand is before Jesus, confessing our need and receiving his forgiveness. Isn’t that what the Sacrament of Reconciliation is all about?
When we allow ourselves to be vulnerable, when we get past our initial timidity in approaching the sacrament, we open ourselves to the floodgates of heaven itself! God is just waiting to pour his mercy upon us. In fact, the more honest we are about our faults and the deeper we allow the Holy Spirit to expose our need, the more profoundly his grace will penetrate our lives. He can free us from deeply held patterns of sin, strengthen us in the face of temptation, and give us the courage to persevere in the face of disappointment.
You may not feel like the pardoned adulterous woman after every confession. But despite your feelings, God truly has forgiven you. So ask the Holy Spirit to help you see these heavenly realities and cooperate with God. Ask him to help you experience the freedom of being a forgiven child of God.

meditation: The Word Among Us