When the Stones Drop

 

Readings 032326 

I am a sinner.
For a long time, my sins didn’t trouble me…
The world told me they made me cool—
helped me fit in with the crowd.

But other people’s sins?
Whether their sins were real
or ones I only imagined,
those bothered me.
Their sins were probably no worse than mine,
yet it’s always easier to point a finger than open a heart.
Easier to name someone else’s guilt
than face the truth living quietly in my own soul.

But forgiveness—real forgiveness—comes from God.
And when it comes, it changes the way we see everything.

Susanna stood innocent before false accusers.
The woman in the Gospel stood guilty before real ones.
Two very different stories…
yet in both, God steps in—
not with stones,
but with mercy that exposes the truth
and restores the dignity of the one who stands before Him.

Jesus bends down and writes in the dust,
and suddenly every accuser remembers
their own hidden story.
One by one, the stones drop.

And maybe that’s the invitation today:
to let our stones fall.
To stop rehearsing what others have done
and finally let God touch what we have done.
Because the moment we stand honestly before Him,
we hear the same words the woman heard:
“Neither do I condemn you.
Go, and sin no more.”

Forgiveness is a wonderful thing.
It frees the one who receives it…
and the one who finally stops throwing stones.

Prayer

Lord Jesus,
You know my sins and still You look on me with love.
Teach me to drop the stones I hold against others.
Open my heart to the truth You reveal in mercy.
Give me the courage to stand honestly before You.
Speak again Your healing words: “Neither do I condemn you.”
Lead me to walk in Your forgiveness and live anew. 

Amen