"The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her stand in the middle." The episode of the woman caught in adultery is a powerful story. We have perhaps all felt as the woman has at some point in our lives, surrounded by those who would condemn us. The beauty of Christ's mercy at the end is clear...and a welcome relief as we all struggle to be good and holy people. But have we ever imagined ourselves on the edge of the circle? Have we pictured ourselves in the sea of dusty robes? Perhaps, we hope, we're hovering at the edge of the circle of judgment. But we've all been there.
      How easy it is to be righteous when someone else's reputation is at stake. When the small child is acting up in the grocery store or on the plane. When another company has a scandal break or a major error sets back their profits. Could it be easy to pick up the stone and feel its weight and heft in our hands? Because if we've got a stone in our hands, our own righteous category is clear. Our judgment is our insurance that we won't be on the receiving end of the criticism. If we can point out a wrong, surely we are firmly in the right.
      “’Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her'... they went away one by one." This Lent, not only are we invited to receive God's mercy, but to show God's mercy. As the season begins to wind to a close, consider those in your life you tend to judge the most harshly. What is one concrete way you can drop your stone?

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