Dear Families,
There are few people that we know better than the members of our own family. We know one another’s strengths and abilities, and we also know one another’s limitations and weaknesses. Like the Pharisees in today’s Gospel, we may be tempted to focus on the faults and sins that familiarity with one another can sometimes reveal. As family members, however, we also have the ability to see one another’s faults and sins within the context of the whole person. When we can keep this perspective, we are more likely to look upon one another with compassion. Family life, then, presents us the opportunity to see one another as God sees us, not with judgment and condemnation for our weaknesses and failings, but with mercy and compassion. When we learn to withhold judgment for the faults we know are there and seek the best in one another, we help one another to experience the depths of God’s compassion, mercy, and love.
As you gather as a family, observe that when we know people well, we know their faults as well as their strengths. At times, we can be tempted to focus on the faults we see in others. Discuss what your family life would be like if you always focused on one another’s faults. Observe that in today’s Gospel, Jesus refuses to focus on the sin of the woman brought to him for judgment. Read aloud today’s Gospel, John 8:2-11. Ask: What did the people who focused on the woman’s sin want to do? (stone the woman) What does Jesus say to the people who accused the woman caught in adultery? (that the person with no sin should throw the first stone) Are any of us without sin? (No.) Observe that we can help each other to grow in God’s love by refusing to focus on one another’s faults and sins. In this way, we can help one another to see ourselves as God sees us: with understanding and compassion. Conclude in prayer together asking God to forgive our sins by praying the Act of Contrition.
Family Prayer – Run to the Father – As a family, listen to the song “Run to the Father” by Matt Maher, Cody Carnes, and Ran Jackson. Reflect on the lyrics, what they mean to you, and how they relate to today’s Gospel.
Family Challenge – Jesus forgives the woman in today’s Gospel. This week, forgive someone who has wronged you, whether they are sorry or not.
Partners in Faith,
Phyllis Chudzinski
Wednesday, April 9th- Class 5:30-7pm