The Bible readings assigned for today are about two women caught in untenable situations. In the Old Testament lesson from the Book of Daniel, Susanna finds herself wrongly accused of adultery and threatened with death. The Gospel of John tells the story of a women actually caught in adultery and also threatened with death. The Biblical message: both guiltless and the guilty are treated with compassion, the saint and the sinner are worthy of mercy. In our time of high crime there is a persistent call of justice. Those who have been wronged want the system to give them a sense that those who perpetrate these heinous actions will not get away with it. Jesus in the gospel responds to the sin with a reminder that we all get away with stuff all the time. We all need God’s mercy. As we pray in the Lord’s Prayer: forgive us our sins as we forgive the sins of others.
