Go and sin no more
There is a tender song, Father I have Sinned (The Prodigal Son), the words & music by Eugene O’Reilly. Each verse is written from the perspective of the repentant ‘prodigal son’, while the refrain echoes the loving response of the forgiving Father.
Father I have sinned,
help me find my way.
Remember not my sins,
just let me hear you say:
I forgive you, I love you
You are mine, take my hand.
Go in peace, sin no more,
Beloved one.
I believe it captures the thoughts of the ‘woman caught in adultery’ as she stood there hiding her nakedness in this week’s Gospel John 8: 1-11 ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you? She said, No one Lord, And Jesus said, Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more’
I imagine the woman, trembling in the dust, exposed not just in body but in soul—expecting stones, but receiving mercy. The words ‘I forgive you, I love you, you are mine’ seem to rise like a healing balm over her deepest wounds. In that moment, she is no longer just ‘the woman caught in adultery’ but a beloved daughter, restored and seen through the eyes of compassion.
Just as the song gives voice to her thoughts and Jesus’ unconditional love, it gently carries the unspoken longing of every one of us who has ever felt unworthy, ashamed, or far from home—and reminds us that mercy is not a rare gift, but the very heartbeat of Christ.
Like the woman, who is not given a name, we each long to be the beloved one. We long to hear those words spoken over our own lives—not as judgment, but as healing: ‘Neither do I condemn you… go and sin no more.’ In that moment, Jesus doesn’t just free her from condemnation; He restores her dignity, her identity, and her hope.
His words ‘Neither do I condemn you’ are a quiet hope within us, drawing us back to Jesus, even when the world calls us by our failures, we have our place in His heart: beloved.
No matter where we’ve been or what we carry, Jesus meets us not with condemnation, but with a love that lifts, heals, and sends us forth in peace. May we walk this week with the quiet confidence that we are not defined by our past, but by the mercy of the One who calls us His beloved.
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