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Fifth Sunday of Lent
Theme: “Leave the Stone, Choose the Cross”
Readings: Isaiah 43:16–21 | Psalm 126 | Philippians 3:8–14 | John 8:1–11
There’s something about this Gospel that sounds like a modern-day scandal—the kind that explodes on social media. A woman caught in sin, dragged into the spotlight, while everyone around her grabs stones, ready to cancel her. But Jesus? He doesn’t join the noise. He stoops down, writes in the sand, and reminds everyone that not one of us is without fault.
You know, Jesus is the only person who ever had the right to throw a stone—and He didn’t. Meanwhile, some of us, with sins bigger than FNB Stadium, are ready to hurl stones at others like we’ve never needed forgiveness ourselves. Ai suka!
The reading from Isaiah reminds us: “See, I am doing a new thing!” God’s mercy is not recycled—it’s fresh, alive, and active. St. Paul in Philippians says he counts everything as loss compared to knowing Christ. He’s not perfect, but he’s running toward the prize. And in the Gospel, Jesus invites us to drop the stones of judgment and pick up the grace of transformation.
The woman stands condemned by the law, but Jesus shows that grace has the final word. He doesn't say, “You’re fine as you are,” nor “You’re finished.” He says, “Go, and sin no more.” Grace that calls us higher.
At this table of mercy, we come not as perfect people, but as people longing for new beginnings. Like the woman, we are met not with condemnation, but with compassion. This is where the old is gone and the new can begin.
Question for Reflection
Who have I been quick to judge? And what stones am I holding that Jesus is asking me to drop?
Daily Practical Application
Today, offer mercy to someone who doesn’t expect it—at home, at work, on the taxi rank, or even online. Speak words that heal. Forgive where it hurts. Let someone know they’re more than their worst moment.
To the one who feels ashamed, cornered, or defined by past mistakes—hear this: Jesus does not define you by your failures, but by your future. You are not cancelled. You are called.
What Can I Do During the Jubilee Year?
Be a Pilgrim of Hope: Walk with those who feel far from God. Invite someone to Mass. Volunteer at a shelter. Write letters to prisoners. Be Christ’s hand extended in South Africa’s wounded places.
Don’t waste your energy throwing stones. Use it to build bridges. Mercy is not weakness—it’s divine power in action. And it changes lives.
In our Mzansi spirit, let’s remember the ubuntu we’re called to live: "I am because we are." The woman in the Gospel is not someone else—she is us. And the Jesus who forgave her is still alive in every township, city street, and quiet chapel.
Let the Gospel free you—not to stay where you are, but to become who you were always meant to be.
Inspirational Quote
"Grace doesn't excuse the sin. It empowers the sinner to rise again."
This Sunday, the Lord invites you to a new thing—freedom over fear, mercy over judgement, and grace over shame. Will you let go of the stones?
Lord Jesus, thank You for meeting me with mercy and not condemnation. Help me to let go of judgement and embrace the freedom You offer. Give me the courage to walk in grace and to share it with others.
Amen.
Loving and Merciful Father,
As a new day dawns, I come before You with a heart full of hope and a spirit open to grace. Thank You for the gift of this day, for breath in my lungs, and a chance to begin again.
Today, like the woman in the Gospel, I stand before You—known, seen, yet still deeply loved. You see past my faults, my past, my mistakes. You see my potential. You speak not with condemnation, but with compassion.
Lord, help me to drop the stones I carry—the stones of judgement, bitterness, and pride. Teach me to walk the road of mercy. Help me offer to others the same kindness You show me each day.
May this day be filled with acts of forgiveness, seeds of new beginnings, and courage to rise again after failure. Strengthen me to forgive those who’ve hurt me, and to receive forgiveness when I fall short.
Make me a pilgrim of hope in South Africa, a channel of healing in a broken world, and a witness to Your transforming love.
Inspire me to lift others, not crush them; to see potential, not just problems; and to live not in shame, but in renewed purpose.
Let my life today be a living 'Amen' to Your mercy.
Amen.
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