***
On Sundays, I try standing at the front door of church to greet parishioners before Mass.
Recently I saw a young teenager outside who, for whatever reason, was in a terrible hurry and ended up falling not down, but up the stairs.
Although he stood up quickly and promised he was okay, I’m sure he walked away with a bruised ego.
Falling in public is terribly embarrassing. We all know it, because we’ve all done it.
For example, I remember falling in the middle of Times Square once!
***
In the bible, falling has a double meaning.
It not only means to lose our balance; it also means, “to sin.”
To fall means to sin.
***
In the Gospel we find a woman who’s fallen.
She’s been caught in the act of adultery. Imagine how embarrassed she must’ve been as she’s dragged by a band of men out of her home and laid at the feet Jesus.
These men are stewing with anger. A woman has broken the Law and must be killed. But before they unleash a barrage of stones upon her, they want Jesus to condemn her, too.
But he just kneels down eye level to the woman and starts drawing in the sand. Some say he doodles.
Others say Jesus writes an account of their own sins, which is why he dares these men to be the first to cast a stone.
Deeply frustrated, they leave him – and her – for a time.
***
Although this poor woman has made a serious mistake, Jesus reminds them that no one is blameless.
They’ve all sinned – and broken the Law – to varying degrees.
Lent is the time for us to recognize how we’ve done the same.
***
But it’s also a time to remember that God is a God of forgiveness. He welcomes us back every time we leave him.
Think no further than the Prodigal Son.
But God’s forgiveness is contingent upon our willingness to forgive others.
Jesus would’ve forgiven these men their sins, for example, if only they were willing to drop their stones, relenting in their punishment against their neighbor.
Because, according to Jesus, mercy trumps judgment.
***
In the bible, falling has a double meaning. It not only means to trip; it also means to sin.
Two things we’ve all done.
Before condemning others, then, take a quick look in the mirror.
“For as you judge,” Jesus says, “so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.”