## The Mercy of Christ and the Joy of Forgiveness
“Woman, has no one condemned you?” “No one, Lord.” “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on, sin no more.” They had brought to Jesus a woman caught in adultery. They placed her in the middle, says the Gospel. They humiliated and shamed her to the extreme, without the slightest consideration. They reminded the Lord that the Law imposed the severe punishment of stoning for this sin: “What do you say?” they asked Him in bad faith, looking for a reason to accuse Him. But Jesus surprised them all. He said nothing; bending down, He wrote with His finger on the ground.
The woman stood terrified in the midst of them all. As the scribes and Pharisees persisted with their questions, Jesus straightened up and said to them: **“Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone.”** And bending down again, He continued writing on the ground.
They all left, one by one, beginning with the eldest. Their consciences were not clean, and what they sought was to set a trap for the Lord. Everyone departed; Jesus was left alone with the woman standing there in the middle. Jesus straightened up and said to her: “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
### A New Beginning
The words of Jesus are full of tenderness and indulgence, a manifestation of the Lord's infinite forgiveness and mercy. She answered immediately: “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her: **“Neither do I condemn you; go and from now on sin no more.”** We can imagine the enormous joy of that woman, her desire to start anew, and her profound love for Christ.
In the soul of this woman, stained by sin and public shame, a change so profound took place that we can only glimpse it through the light of faith. The words of the prophet Isaiah are fulfilled: *“Remember not the things of old, nor consider the things of past; behold, I am doing a new thing... I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert... to give drink to my chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise.”*
### The Power of Absolution
Every day, in every corner of the world, Jesus—through His ministers, the priests—continues to say: **“I absolve you from your sins…”** go and sin no more. It is Christ Himself who forgives.
> “The sacramental formula ‘I absolve you…’, the imposition of hands, and the sign of the cross traced over the penitent, manifest that at that moment the contrite and converted sinner comes into contact with the power and mercy of God. It is the moment in which, in response to the penitent, the Blessed Trinity becomes present to erase their sin and restore their innocence...”
The words spoken by the priest are not merely a prayer of petition asking God to forgive, nor a simple certification that God has deigned to grant forgiveness. Rather, in that very instant, **they truly cause and communicate forgiveness.** Few words have produced more joy in the world than these of absolution. Saint Augustine affirms that the wonder they work surpasses even the creation of the world.
With what joy do we receive them when we approach the Sacrament of Forgiveness? With what gratitude? Today, in our prayer, we can show our thankfulness to the Lord for such a great gift.
HCD