Hello friends,
This is Mark Gladman,
Also known as Brother Frederick James,
Your friendly neighborhood Monk-in-Docs,
Welcoming you as we continue to walk through Lent and reflect on Jesus' I Am statements in John's Gospel in the light of Lent and Easter.
And today we continue to reflect on Jesus' statement I Am,
The light of the world.
So as we begin,
I invite you to take a deep breath in and slowly release it.
Let your body relax.
Let your thoughts settle.
And for these next few moments,
Allow yourself to be fully present.
Now imagine yourself in a busy courtyard.
The sun is rising higher in the sky,
Casting long shadows across the stone pavement.
You hear voices,
Urgent,
Angry.
A crowd is gathering,
Moving towards Jesus,
Dragging a woman before him.
She's been caught in sin.
The law is clear.
The punishment is death.
The scribes and Pharisees pressed Jesus for an answer.
Teacher,
This woman was caught in adultery.
The law commands us to stone such women.
What do you say?
The tension is heavy.
The crowd waits,
Stones in hand.
And then Jesus bends down.
He says nothing at first.
Instead,
He traces his finger in the dust.
The accusers shift uneasily,
The silence grows,
And then Jesus speaks.
Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone.
Imagine yourself in that scene.
Picture the stones in the hands of the crowd,
The weight of their judgement.
Now turn inward.
Are there times when you would have picked up a stone?
Maybe not a literal one,
But a thought,
A word,
A judgement.
A time when you held on to resentment.
A moment when you were quick to condemn.
A time when you believed the worst in someone,
Instead of seeing them as God sees them.
Hold that awareness gently,
Not in guilt,
For there's no condemnation here.
This is only an invitation to lay the stone down.
Now imagine Jesus turning his gaze towards you,
His eyes full of understanding,
Not condemnation,
But love.
In your hands,
You hold a stone.
It represents a judgement you've carried against someone else,
Or maybe,
Maybe even against yourself.
Feel that stone in your hand.
Is it heavy?
Is it rough?
Is it cold?
Now listen as Jesus speaks again.
Let anyone among you who is without sin cast the first stone.
Breathe deeply in,
And as you exhale,
Gently open your hand and let the stone fall from your fingers.
And as you do,
Feel the release,
Feel the lightness,
And feel the mercy that flows in its place.
Jesus looks at the woman and says,
Neither do I condemn you.
Go and sin no more.
Hear those words spoken over you as well.
A call not just to receive grace from God,
But to extend it to others.
As we come to the time of ending our meditation,
Will you share a prayer with me?
God of mercy,
You see us as we are,
In our weakness,
In our failures,
In our struggles,
And yet you meet us with compassion.
Teach us to lay down our stones,
To release judgement and embrace love,
To see others through your eyes,
To walk in the light of your grace.
May our hearts be softened,
Our words be gentle,
And our actions kind.
Amen.
Take another deep breath in,
Slowly exhale,
And as you step forward into your day,
May you walk in the light of compassion,
Extending the same mercy that Christ has shown to you.
And may grace,
Peace and love not just be with you,
But flow through you every step of the way,
Today and always.
Amen.
God bless you,
Friends.
I pray that this journey through Lent is causing you to go deep,
And seeing God touch places of your heart and soul that need healing,
And his tender mercy and the light of compassion shed upon it.
Until tomorrow,
Peace be with you.
Amen.
