Early in the morning, they came and he taught them in the temple
So starts this week’s Gospel of the ‘Woman Caught in Adultery’ John 8: 1-11. ‘Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery.’
St John tells us Jesus came, people came and then the scribes and Pharisees brought a woman. He paints a subtle difference by changing the word came to brought. Both Jesus and the people came to teach and learn about the Kingdom of Heaven. They on the other hand did not come but brought the woman to condemn, trap and accuse.
Their intent was not learning but humiliation; not mercy, but judgment. In this one shift—from “came” to “brought”—John contrasts the openness of those who seek truth with the rigidity of those who wield the law as a weapon of oppression.
This is such an important contrast - seeking truth versus condemnation. In our modern world, especially in the realm of geopolitics, we are witnessing a dangerous escalation of tensions, where condemnation, accusations, and hardened positions take precedence over dialogue, understanding, and truth-seeking. It sometimes feels as if we are teetering on the edge of another global catastrophe, not because truth is absent, but because so few are willing to humbly pursue it.
Witnessing this daily on the media it is so easy for us to get caught up in a mood of condemnation, of seeing the other as the enemy. The constant stream of headlines, soundbites, and images—often stripped of context or compassion—can subtly shape our hearts to mirror what we observe.
Yet the Gospel calls us to something radically different: to resist the easy pull of outrage and instead embrace the difficult work of listening and understanding.
The sheer power of momentum seems to be leading us to the edge of the precipice. Who has the courage to stamp on the brake pedal? The voices of peacemakers are drowned by the clattering of tanks. It is in this context that we hope to embark on a Pilgrimage for Peace - to come to the temple early in the morning to listen to Jesus.
I urge each one of my readers to do the same - pray and work for peace in our own sphere of influence. This requires each of us to change our ways, to repent, to stop, to listen, to forgive, to reconcile, to pray.
Who is it that we have to make peace with today?
Message of Fatima for Peace
As we continue to pray for funding our Pilgrimage for Peace, we are mindful that the world has been in this situation before. And Our Mother Mary gave us a formula for bringing peace to our world, at her apparitions at Fatima. I outline it here as a reminder:
Daily praying of the Rosary
Small acts of penance and reparations
Consecration to her Immaculate Heart
Reconciliation
First Saturday Devotion