Church fathers

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Thursday, 27 June 2024 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Cyril of Alexandria, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard from the words of the Sacred Scriptures in which we are all reminded that we must always put our faith and trust in the Lord, and building our lives upon a firm foundation in Him. Otherwise, if we place our trust and faith in the world and whatever things that we depend on in this world instead of putting our faith in the Lord, we will sooner than later realise that our trust in the things and matters of this world, in any of our worldly means and powers will not avail us through the difficult and challenging moments, and it is in the end, the Lord alone is our firm hope and foundation, through Whom we shall receive consolation, strength and providence, and it is He alone Who will not disappoint any one of us.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah of the continuation of the story of the people of God and the kingdom of Judah, in which we heard today of the last days of the existence of the independent kingdom of Judah, having once again disobeyed the Lord and left the righteous path which the previous King, King Josiah of Judah in our first reading yesterday had highlighted to us, in his efforts and endeavours to bring the people of God back towards obedience and commitment to God. Those efforts were ultimately in vain, as after the passing of King Josiah, the people of God and their kings went back to the path of disobedience and sins against God, and therefore, the kingdom went on its path to its eventual destruction.

Back then, the kingdom of Judah were in between the powerful kingdoms of Egypt and Babylon, with the former having attacked and overcome Judah after defeating King Josiah and his forces in battle earlier in the years prior to the parts mentioned in today’s first reading passage. Egypt subjugated the kingdom of Judah for a while and placed it under its sphere of influence, before as we heard today, the rising power of the Babylonians led to the forces of the King of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar to strike at Judah and Jerusalem, taking over the control and overlordship over Judah from the Egyptians to themselves. We heard how the king of Judah, Jehoiachin and many of the people of Judah were brought off into exile from Jerusalem and Judah after the King of Babylon besieged and attacked Judah and Jerusalem.

All these were likely caused by the people’s lack of faith in God, as they trusted more in worldly powers and in the worldly means, in the play of power and politics, all of which led to the eventual mistakes and repercussions which would end up in the divisions and destructions of the kingdoms of God’s people, as had once happened to the northern kingdom of Israel. The people and king of Judah depended on the Egyptians to protect themselves from the Babylonians, and on other occasions, on the Babylonians to protect themselves against the Egyptians, thinking that by depending on these powers of the world, on their alliances and intricate political links and arrangements that they could get themselves out of trouble and escape their predicament. Little that they know that all these would not avail them at all.

This is why we are all reminded that putting our trust and faith in worldly things and in all of our worldly means and powers will not give us true happiness and satisfaction, and while it may give us temporary reprieve, relief or joy, but in the end, it is with the Lord alone there is true fulfilment, satisfaction and joy, and in the end, if we remain truly faithful to God and trust in Him wholeheartedly, we shall have true joy and glory with Him, and we shall be freed from all the bonds and hardships facing us, and God shall bless us forevermore with the true and lasting peace, happiness and wonders, all of which He has promised to us, and which our holy and worthy predecessors have received and experienced, and which we too should be looking forward to.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the words of the Lord Jesus to His disciples and followers telling them all that unless they all have true, genuine and strong faith in Him, they shall not be able to partake in Him or be part of His inheritance, and no one unless those who truly anchored themselves in Him and in His truth will be able to bear through the many challenges, obstacles and hardships that they may likely encounter throughout their lives and existence in this world. The Lord used the parable of the houses and their foundations of sand and firm rock to highlight and explain these things to His disciples and followers, to make it clear that putting our faith in worldly things and in our worldly means and powers, as mentioned in the first reading today, is just like building our houses on the weak foundation of sand, and which will be easily toppled and destroyed.

Meanwhile, if we put our faith and trust in the Lord, as He Himself said, that it is like building upon the firm foundation of our faith in Him, and in His rock-solid commitment to us and to the Covenant which He had established with all of us. This is also a reminder for us that siding and putting our faith with the Lord, trusting and following Him do not mean that we will be free from challenges, hardships and obstacles in life. On the contrary, we may encounter even more difficulties, trials and oppositions than if we are to side with the world instead. However, with God by our side, as our firm foundation and as our Strength and Protector, we can be assured that we will be triumphant in the end of our journey and struggles throughout life.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of a great Church father and man of God, whose life and inspirations can strengthen and empower us all in how we can live a more worthy and committed life in the Lord. St. Cyril of Alexandria was the Patriarch of Alexandria during the tumultuous time of the late Roman Empire, at the early fifth century, four centuries after the time of the Lord and His Apostles. At that time, the Church was divided between various sides who supported different heretical teachings, as well as those who upheld the true, orthodox and genuine faith in God. After the great troubles earlier on with Arianism and its false teachings, there then rose the heresy of Nestorianism, in which the nature of Our Lord’s Divinity and the relationship between His Divinity and Humanity was confused.

St. Cyril of Alexandria committed himself to the Lord and to the Church rather early in his life although details were rather scant on this part of his life, and eventually he rose to the position of priest, experiencing the theological disputes and the difficulties arising from the divisions within the Church at the time. He was appointed as the Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and it was told that there was disagreements and rioting in Alexandria between his supporters and those who supported his rival, the Archdeacon Timotheus. There were then also disputes with the local prefect and the Church hierarchy in the Eastern part of the Roman Empire which at that time were corrupt and infringing upon the rights and the practices of the Church, and eventually also siding with the Nestorians and their heretical teachings. St. Cyril of Alexandria courageously stood up against all these challenges and obstacles in his many years as the leader of his flock in Alexandria and beyond.

The disputes and disagreements with Nestorius, who was then the powerful and influential Archbishop of Constantinople, the capital of the Eastern half of the Roman Empire eventually led to the Ecumenical Council of Ephesus, in which after a long struggle, disputations and efforts from both sides, those who supported and defended the true Christian faith, that is the orthodox party, led by St. Cyril of Alexandria and many of his holy and faithful contemporaries eventually triumphed, and managed to get the false teachings of Nestorius to be condemned as heresy, managing to affirm the belief that the Divine and Human natures of the Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Man are not separated unlike what Nestorius claimed, but rather, united perfectly in love in the One Person of Our Lord and Saviour Himself. St. Cyril faced many hardships and challenges throughout all these times, and had to face opposition from many people even after the Council of Ephesus had decided on the matter, but nonetheless, he carried out his mission faithfully to the end of his life.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore reflect upon what we have just discussed in the Scriptures and from the life and works of St. Cyril of Alexandria, holy servant of God and bishop. Let us all continue to commit ourselves to the Lord, doing whatever we can so that by our exemplary lives and works, we may always live lives that are worthy of God, truly holy and righteous in all things. May all of us be blessed and be strengthened, guided and empowered by God, our Lord and Master in all that we do, and be those who place their trust in God and build the foundation of our lives and faith firmly in Him, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 27 June 2024 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Cyril of Alexandria, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

Matthew 7 : 21-29

At that time, Jesus said to the people, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My heavenly Father. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not speak in Your Name? Did we not cast out devils and perform many miracles in Your Name?’ Then I will tell them openly, ‘I have never known you; away from Me, you evil people!’”

“Therefore, anyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts according to them, is like a wise man, who built his house on rock. The rain poured down, the rivers flooded, and the wind blew and struck that house. But it did not collapse, because it was built on rock. But anyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act accordingly, is like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain poured, the rivers flooded, and the wind blew and struck that house; it collapsed, and what a terrible collapse that was!”

When Jesus had finished this discourse, the crowds were struck by the way He taught, because He taught with authority, unlike their teachers of the Law.

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Thursday, 27 June 2024 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Cyril of Alexandria, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

Psalm 78 : 1-2, 3-5, 8, 9

O God, the pagans have invaded Your inheritance; they have defiled Your holy Temple and reduced Jerusalem to rubble. They have given Your servants’ corpses to the birds, and the flesh of Your saints, to the beasts of the earth.

They have poured out the blood of Your faithful, like water around Jerusalem, and there was no one to bury them. Mocked and reviled by those around us, we are scorned by our neighbours. How long will this last, o YHVH? Will You be angry forever? Will Your wrath always burn to avenge Your rights?

Do not remember against us the sins of our fathers. Let Your compassion hurry to us, for we have been brought very low.

Help us, God, our Saviour, for the glory of Your Name; forgive us, for the sake of Your Name.

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Thursday, 27 June 2024 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Cyril of Alexandria, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

2 Kings 24 : 8-17

Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he succeeded his father, and he reigned for three months in Jerusalem. His mother was Nehushta, daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. Jehoiachin treated YHVH badly, as his father had done.

At that time, the officials of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came to attack Jerusalem, surrounding the city. Nebuchadnezzar came while the city was being besieged by his men. Jehoiachin, king of Judah, surrendered, together with his mother, his servants, his leaders and the palace officials. It was the eighth year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar.

Nebuchadnezzar captured them and he took away the treasures of the House of YHVH and of the king’s house. He also destroyed all the objects of gold which Solomon, king of Israel, had made for the Sanctuary of YHVH. So the word YHVH had spoken, was fulfilled.

Nebuchadnezzar carried off into exile all the leaders and prominent men, the blacksmiths and locksmiths, all the men of valour fit for war. A total of ten thousand were exiled to Babylon. Only the poorest sector of the population was left. Nebuchadnezzar also carried away Jehoiachin, with his mother, his wives, the ministers of the palace, and the prominent men of the land.

So all the prominent people, numbering seven thousand, the blacksmiths, numbering a thousand, and all the men fit for war were deported to Babylon by the king of Babylon. He made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king of Jerusalem, in place of Jehoiachin. And he changed his name to Zedekiah.

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Thursday, 25 April 2024 : Feast of St. Mark, Evangelist (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the occasion of the Feast of St. Mark, one of the Four Evangelists and a great missionary and leader of the early Church. St. Mark was known not only for his efforts and works in writing the Gospel attributed to him but also for his role in evangelisation and ministering to the faithful people of God, spreading the Good News of the Lord to the people in many places, and helping to establish the foundation of the Church, especially in Alexandria in Egypt, where a sizeable Christian community quickly formed in the earliest days of the Church from the Jewish diaspora community there and from the Greeks and local Egyptians in that region, who embraced Christ and His truth.

In our first reading today, we heard from the first Epistle of St. Peter in which the Apostle spoke of the importance of humility as being a hallmark of being a Christian faithful and believer of the Lord. One cannot truly claim to be faithful to God and yet at the same time not being a person full of humility and obedience to God. At the same time, the Apostle also reminded the faithful people of God that the Lord was always with them and regardless of the challenges, trials and sufferings that they may all have to endure amidst their missions and lives, but in the end, should they remain faithful to the Lord, then they shall all be triumphant together with the Lord and receive from Him the assurance of eternal glory and life everlasting, which God has promised all of His faithful ones.

What St. Peter the Apostle told the faithful people of God were essentially reminders that in their faith and in how they lived their lives, all of them should not allow the temptations of the world, particularly that of the temptations of human pride and ego from misleading them down the wrong path. The greater the person is, and the more power he or she has, then the humble he or she should become, as ultimately all the greatness, power and glory came from the Lord and not meant for us to boast or to be prideful for. The Apostles themselves showed this by example, as although the Lord had entrusted them all with great power and authority, but they carried out their missions faithfully and did not allow worldly glory and pride to tempt them or to boast of their successes.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the Lord Jesus Who was sending out His disciples and followers after He had risen from the dead, telling all of them that they should go forth to the nations, to tell of His truth and salvation to all the people they encounter so that all of those people may come to believe in the Lord as well, and may embrace God’s grace and love, and be saved through their acceptance of the Lord’s truth and salvation. This is the important mission which the Lord had entrusted to His Church, to all of those whom He had called and chosen, especially the Apostles and the other important disciples, some of whom like St. Mark and St. Luke, while not being Apostles, were important in their role as the Evangelists, the writers of the Holy Gospels, and in the case of St. Mark, as mentioned, establishing the Church of God in distant lands.

St. Mark the Evangelist according to the Sacred tradition of the Church was one of the seventy disciples that the Lord sent out to minister to the people of God, to go forth before Him and to prepare His path. St. Mark worked closely with the Apostles and having experienced the Lord Himself in the earlier years, could indeed write his experiences and the many works of the Lord as just how he recorded them in his Gospel of St. Mark. It was also the shortest among the four Holy Gospels, and according to the tradition and historical evidences, might have been among the first of the Gospels to be written and recorded. This was done just as St. Mark carried on with his own evangelising missions, firstly as part of the missionary party with St. Peter and the other Apostles, and then later on by himself.

St. Mark went on to the land of Egypt and according to veritable tradition of faith founded the Church of God in Alexandria, then the largest city in the whole Eastern part of the Roman Empire and all of Egypt. There, St. Mark helped to build the foundation of the Church amongst the Jewish diaspora as well as the diverse ethnic groups who called Alexandria and its region as their home. St. Mark was the first overseer and hence Bishop of Alexandria, and hence is honoured today among many Christian churches as the first Patriarch and Pope of Alexandria, the founder of one of the five great Ancient Sees of Christendom, that is the See of Alexandria, counting among his successors numerous great Church fathers and saints.

St. Mark himself continued to carry out his duties and works faithfully, caring for his flock and showing the Lord to more and more people through his efforts at evangelisation as well as through his writings and works, including the Gospel that he wrote. He also ministered to the flock and the faithful people of God placed under his care, helping many people to remain faithful to the Lord and to find their way to His salvation. In the end, just like most of the other Apostles of the Lord and His many other servants and disciples, St. Mark was martyred for his faith, several decades after he founded the See of Alexandria. Nonetheless, the legacy and works of St. Mark the Evangelist keep on surviving among Christians and throughout the Church till this very day.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all commemorate the glorious memory and faith which St. Mark the Evangelist had shown to the Lord and all of us, let us all therefore realise that the works which the Lord had given to His Church and His disciples, including all of us are still not yet done. The missions and works of the Church are still ongoing and we must make good use of the opportunities provided to us so that we may indeed be faithful in living our lives and proclaiming His truth and Good News to the nations, just as the Apostles and the Evangelists like St. Mark himself had done. The question is, are we willing to commit ourselves to do what the Lord had called us to do, and are we willing to commit ourselves, our time and efforts to do what the Lord had entrusted in our care?

Let us all hence do our best in our lives as Christians, in our obedience to God and in all of our actions and deeds so that we may truly be great inspiration for everyone around us like that of St. Mark the Evangelist and many others of our holy predecessors, all of whom have shown us their own exemplary lives and actions, that we may also follow in their footsteps and live our lives most worthily in the Lord, our loving God and Father. May God continue to bless and strengthen us all in all things, and be with us always in our every good efforts and endeavours. Amen.

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Thursday, 25 April 2024 : Feast of St. Mark, Evangelist (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Mark 16 : 15-20

At that time, Jesus told His disciples, “Go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News to all creation. The one who believes and is baptised will be saved; the one who refuses to believe will be condemned.”

“Signs like these will accompany those who have believed : in My Name they will cast out demons and speak new languages; they will pick up snakes, and if they drink anything poisonous, they will be unharmed; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.”

So then, after speaking to them, the Lord Jesus was taken up into heaven and took His place at the right hand of God. The Eleven went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that accompanied it.

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Thursday, 25 April 2024 : Feast of St. Mark, Evangelist (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 88 : 2-3, 6-7, 16-17

I will sing forever, o Lord, of Your love and proclaim Your faithfulness from age to age. I will declare how steadfast is Your love, how firm Your faithfulness.

The heavens proclaim Your wonders, o Lord; the assembly of the holy ones recalls Your faithfulness. Who in the skies can compare with the Lord; who of the heaven-born is like Him?

Blessed is the people who know Your praise. They walk in the light of Your face. They celebrate all day Your Name and Your protection lifts them up.

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Thursday, 25 April 2024 : Feast of St. Mark, Evangelist (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

1 Peter 5 : 5b-14

All of you must clothe yourself with humility in your dealings with one another, because God opposes the proud but gives His grace to the humble. Bow down, then, before the power of God so that He will raise you up at the appointed time. Place all your worries on Him since He takes care of you.

Be sober and alert because your enemy the devil prowls about like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. Stand your ground, firm in your faith, knowing that our brothers and sisters, scattered throughout the world, are confronting similar sufferings. God, the Giver of all grace, has called you to share in Christ’s eternal Glory and after you have suffered a little He will bring you to perfection : He will confirm, strengthen and establish You forever. Glory be to Him forever and ever. Amen.

I have had these few lines of encouragement written to you by Silvanus, our brother, whom I know to be trustworthy. For I wanted to remind you of the kindness of God really present in all this. Hold on to it. Greetings from the community in Babylon, gathered by God, and from my son, Mark. Greet one another with a friendly embrace. Peace to you all who are in Christ.

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Monday, 18 March 2024 : 5th Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the Scripture readings, particularly the long reading from the Book of Daniel in our first reading, each and every one of us are reminded of the dangers of sin and how sin can lead us down the path of ruin and destruction, and how we have been constantly reminded to resist those temptations of sin, and stay within the path that God had shown and taught us all to walk in. But at the same time we are also reminded that God has the power to forgive us our sins, and to restore us to His grace and love, as long as we are willing to commit ourselves to Him, rejecting our past sinful way of life and embracing His forgiveness and mercy wholeheartedly, as we all should have. This season of Lent is the perfect time for us to seek the Lord with contrite and repentant hearts, to be reunited once again to Him.

In our first reading today, as mentioned, from the Book of Daniel we heard of the story of Susanna, the wife of a wealthy Jewish man in Babylon, during the time of the exile of the people of God in that land after the destruction of Jerusalem and Judah. We heard how two of the elders from the community of the exiled Israelites there grew to lust upon Susanna when they saw her bathing in her estate’s garden, and tried to force themselves upon her. When they could not get what they wanted, they tried to silence her and bring about false accusations upon her so that she would be punished and sentenced to death, which would therefore prevent their wickedness and their evils from being discovered, abusing their status and authority to serve their own selfish purposes.

But God intervened through Daniel, who was then a young man blessed by God’s favour and wisdom, and through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, God led Daniel to intercede for Susanna’s cause, asking the people to reconsider the judgment that they had prematurely given to Susanna based on the lies and false accusations made by the two elders against her. Therefore, we heard how Daniel, speaking with great wisdom from God, helped Susanna to escape her fated demise, and instead, by revelation of truth and the inconsistency of their lies, the two elders were judged by their own words and admissions, through which they revealed how they have lied about the affairs involving them and Susanna, the latter being cleared of all charges while the two elders were sentenced to death.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard from the Gospel of St. John the Apostle about the interactions between the Lord Jesus, the Pharisees, the teachers of the Law and a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law wanted to use the adulterous woman to trap the Lord in a difficult situation from which they likely hoped that they could benefit from, by accusing the Lord falsely of colluding with those who sinned against God, should He decide to be kind and nice to the adulterous woman, as they expected that He would, based on His other actions. Even if the Lord were to be harsh on the adulterous woman, they could still benefit from that by saying that what the Lord had done, was merely following what the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law themselves had done.

But the Lord knew everything that was planned against Him, and at the same time, He also saw the adulterous woman and had pity on her, knowing that this poor soul was also repentant and desiring His love and compassion, His mercy and forgiveness. That was why He told everyone that if any one of them was without sin, then he or she could throw the first stone at the woman. This Law was meant to discourage the people from sinning, but was never meant to cause people to discriminate against those whom they deemed to be less worthy or greater sinner than they were, just as the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law had done to many people including to the adulterous woman. The Lord wanted to guide all sinners back to Himself, and therefore, at that moment, He reminded all of those people of their sins.

No one present there obviously was without any sin, and hence, as we heard, beginning with the oldest ones among them, who had lived the longest and therefore were aware that they had committed the most sins and disobedience against God, and then to the youngest ones, all of them left one by one, realising that they themselves were sinners, ashamed and embarrassed, and no one dared to claim that any of them was without any sin, and hence, we heard how no one was left to condemn and punish the woman. What we must realise is the Lord Himself was actually the One Who was without any sin, and He could have condemned and punished the woman, and yet He did not do so, because He loved her and all sinners, and wanted everyone of us to return to Him, to be forgiven our sins and reconciled with God.

This is a reminder for all of us that we must not let sin to continue to be an obstacle in our path towards God and His salvation. We have to strive to do what the Lord has taught us all to do, to live faithfully and worthily in accordance with God’s will. What the Lord told the adulterous woman is a reminder for us not to sin anymore and to turn away from our evil and wicked ways, embracing God’s ever generous love and compassion, His mercy and desire to forgive us our many sins. That is why during this time and season of Lent, we should make good use of the opportunities and moments given to us so that hopefully we may come ever closer to the Lord with sincere, contrite and repentant hearts and minds, committed to walk once more in the path of God’s grace and righteousness.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Cyril of Jerusalem, who was one the great early Church fathers, and honoured as one of the venerable Doctors of the Church for his many contributions to the Church. He was remembered for his great dedication to the Lord and His Church, for the many efforts and hard work that he had done as the Bishop of the prominent See of Jerusalem, in opposing the then terrible heresy of Arianism that was raging throughout the Church, leading countless souls astray from God’s path. He was locked in long years of struggles against the Arians, particularly with Metropolitan Acacius of Caesarea, a prominent Arian leader who had the support of the powerful members of the Roman state and governance at the time. St. Cyril had to face many struggles and even exile from his See at times, and yet, he remained firm in his dedication and conviction, doing his best to continue leading the people of God to the right path, especially through his many theological works refuting the falsehoods of Arianism and other heresies.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore reflect well upon what we have discussed today, and be inspired by the great examples that our holy predecessors, particularly that of St. Cyril of Jerusalem, so that our whole lives may be great examples and inspirations for everyone around us. May God be with us all at all times, and may He continue to guide and strengthen us in our journey of faith and life. May He empower and strengthen all of us so that we may continue to be strong and courageous in living our lives in His path, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 18 March 2024 : 5th Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

John 8 : 1-11

At that time, Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At daybreak He appeared in the Temple again. All the people came to Jesus, and He sat down and began to teach them. Then the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees brought in a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They made her stand in front of everyone.

“Master,” they said, “this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now the Law of Moses orders that such women be stoned to death; but You, what do You say?” They said this to test Jesus, in order to have some charge against Him. Jesus bent down and started writing on the ground with His finger. And as they continued to ask Him, He straightened up and said to them, “Let anyone among you who has no sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” And He bent down again, writing on the ground.

As a result of these words, they went away, one by one, starting with the elders, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before Him. Then Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She replied, “No one.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go away and do not sin again.”