Throwing Stones. March 17, 2013

We frequently look to the woman caught in adultery and feel deep anger at the manner in which she is treated. And the image of Jesus embracing her in her alienation and loving her is compelling and beautiful. But sometimes we fail to focus on those with the stones in clenched fists ready to pounce on a woman caught in adultery.

I decided to put myself in the minds of those men with the stones. What was the "mindset" which would cause them to want to kill another human being simply for sinning in an obviously sexual manner?
Granite, their actions were rooted in the Law which mandated that a woman caught in adultery should be stoned. And where was the man? Of course the Law was grounded in a belief that women were inferior to men, much better seen in subservience to men.

We hear this gospel proclaimed and we rightfully cringe at the inequality that is being displayed. But let's focus on the mindset of the men holding or clenching the stones.

Their first inclination was to exclude the woman by taking her away from her community and isolating her in a particular interpretation of the Law. They were right; she is wrong. They are righteous and pure; she is a terrible sinner and impure. I can't help but believe that their " mindset" is alive and well in our own enlightened , 21st century mentality. We clench our fists around invisible stones of judgement. And can we throw them.

The current discourse in religion and politics has much stone throwing on all sides and by very smart people. We do what has been done since time immemorial : we demonized the one with whom we disagree by casting or throwing stones, so that we discredit and even demonize the "opponent." We want to exclude no less than those angry men in the gospel. Our methods are not physically violent but they are very damaging, and some might even say they are psychologically violent.

Jesus makes a simple comment that must ring true in our own ears today: if you have never sinned, go and cast the first stone. With that one sentence, our fists open up, the "stone" falls down and we take our place next to that woman writing with her finger in the dry dust of the earth.
Buen camino. Padre Francis