There is a story of an alcoholic who was well
known in town. People would make fun of him and talk behind his back.
Occasionally he would try to go dry but this would make people uncomfortable because
he would no longer be the butt of their jokes. Then he would fall back into old
ways and people would be happy to talk about him again. We know that the 12
steps program helps people to find ways of living with their own weakness and
vulnerability. But an important part of the program is a friend and mentor who
walks with them. This person can be like Jesus to them as they do not put on
airs and graces but love the person as they are not as we would have them be.
This is precisely the situation that we read in
the gospel for this weekend. We can become comfortable with another person’s
sin because it stops us from reflecting on our own. We can start to become
proportional in our approach to God when we start to say that at least we are
not as bad as another person. Yet Jesus does not look at our sins but how he
has the greater gift of inviting us into a living relationship with God. This
is about responding in faith to God’s love which is abundant. By discovering
that we are loved by God our hearts are enlarged so that we can love others and
walk with them.
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