Pope: We need courage to drop stones we aim at others and think about the wrong we do

During his address to pilgrims in St Peter's Square after the Angelus today the Fifth Sunday of Lent, Pope Francis drew inspiration from the day's Gospel reading, which he said is so beautiful he reads it again and again. The story of the woman caught committing adultery, highlights the theme of the mercy of God, who never wants the death of the sinner but wants them to convert and live, the Holy Father said.

Pope Francis asked everyone to imagine they were witnessing the scene of Jesus, the woman and the crowd who want her stoned to death. He said the crowd had not come to the Master to ask for his opinion but to make him fall into a trap. But Jesus responds saying: "Let him who is without sin, cast the first stone at her.". This disarmed his accusers. They leave aware of their sins.

Just like the Gospel reading said Pope Francis, we need to be aware of our sins and have the courage to drop the stones that we aim at others and think about the wrong we do.

The Holy Father noted that when everyone has gone it is just "the woman and Jesus: misery and mercy, facing each other."

Putting this scene into the context of today, Pope Francis explained that it is like when we are in the confessional filled with shame. We see our own misery and we ask for forgiveness.

This woman underlined, the Pope "represents all of us, sinners, that is, adulterers before God, traitors of his loyalty. And her experience is God's will for each of us: not our condemnation, but our salvation through Jesus."

Following the recitation of the Marian prayer, all those gathered in St Peter's Square, were given a copy of the Gospel of St Luke, as a present from Pope Francis. Volunteers from the Saint Martha Pediatric Dispensary distributed copies of the special edition (not available for sale) to those present, with the aid of a number of grandparents of the diocese of Rome. "How worthy are grandfathers and grandmothers who transmit the faith to their grandchildren," said Pope Francis.

The Holy Father also called the attention of the faithful to page 123 of the volume, on which the full list of the Seven Corporal and Seven Spiritual Works of Mercy appear. "It would be nice that you should learn them by heart," he said, "so as to make it easier for you all to do them!"

"I invite you to take this gospel and to read it, a little passage every day, so that the mercy of the Father might dwell in your heart and so that you will bring that mercy to everyone you meet."

Source: Vatican Radio