Scholars agree that this incident is a later addition to the original Gospel, but nevertheless it is certainly an authentic part of earliest tradition. It does not indicate that Jesus was soft on matters of sexual morality nor that he passed over guilt lightly. Forgiveness requires a genuine facing up to guilt with an honest conversion and intention of amendment: "Go and sin no more."

The question here is not whether the law is valid, but the dishonest use of the law by the scribes and Pharisees. Their intention was not to seek justice but to trap Jesus. (It is quite possible that the woman herself was lured into a trap by a jealous husband — such an accusation required two eyewitnesses to the act itself — see Dt 19:15; and the closely related story of Susanna in Dn 13). References to the death penalty for adultery are in Lv 20:10; Dt 22:21-22; Ez 16:36-41. However, there are indications that capital punishment was not always invoked, and that reconciliation was possible on the initiative of the husband (see Hos 1-3).

The writing in the dirt remains an enigma — we simply have no way of knowing what Jesus wrote. It could not have been considered important to the story, but it does stimulate our idle curiosity. Conjectures range from a list of accusers’ sins, through some pertinent Hebrew proverbs, to simply doodling to show that he was not perturbed by the trial — whether the trial was of him or of her.

The only way it is possible to foretell the future is by reference to the past. One does not live in the past, but one should see in it the pattern of the future. Israel was in exile when this part of Isaiah was written, and would naturally look nostalgically at past glories. The prophet here announces to the people that future restoration will be even greater. This in turn gives us an image of repentance and forgiveness that echoes the Gospel reading. The sinner (or sinful nation) who repents recovers true dignity. The past is not whitewashed, but is truly dead, and life is regained (v 19), which makes possible the activity proper to the redeemed: to praise God (v 21).

This is a song of the restoration: praise springs not merely from a recollection of the past but from the experience of God’s saving power in the present. Response: "The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy."

This letter is somewhat rambling, which leads some scholars to believe that it may be a composite of several messages written at different times. Nonetheless, one thread of meaning that runs through the whole letter is that the suffering of Christ is the source of our life. In this reading, "knowledge" of Christ is the hope and goal of Paul and of all Christians. this knowledge is no mere abstract intellectual matter, but an active participation in his sufferings. One cannot really know another at a distance. Knowledge is communion — sharing what that person is and does.

1. What does forgiveness teach us about the human worth and dignity of even the worst sinner? Can you concentrate on the dignity of person of those who have hurt you?

2. How does "knowledge of Christ," as St. Paul describes it, influence your understanding of your relationship with him?