“God is in the Business of Salvation – Not Condemnation”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
April 5 – 6, 2025
Gospel: John 8:1-11
In today’s Gospel reading, it is the only time in all of Scripture that our Lord wrote anything. What did He write? That’s a good question, but Scripture does not record what was written. Bishop Sheen talked about it in one of his books. The woman was caught in the act of adultery, and the law demanded justice. Jesus said, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7). In his book, Bishop Sheen suggested that what our Lord wrote on the ground could have been the sins of those men standing around Him. He knew their sins. Oops! And off they went. Bye-bye! Some of their sins could have warranted capital punishment just like the woman’s.
Jesus does not condemn us for our sins. He is not in the condemnation business; He is in the salvation business. During the Particular Judgment and the Final Judgment, if our Lord can cry in Heaven, He does. He created us out of love. Why? To live with Him forever. However, through our sins, we choose not to love Him and are cast off. Our Lord does not revoke our free Will, so we have a choice to either love Him or not to love Him. If we love Him, we will stay with Him forever. But if we do not love our Lord, we will be separated from Him forever. He wants us all to be saved and not condemned.
We do not know the situations people are in, but we try to have some level of understanding. Now the actions themselves may be grossly sinful. That’s true, but we may not know the reason. Is there an impediment? Are there mitigating factors? We studied those things in Canon Law, and they are considered during Confession. People play all sorts of spiritual word games. “Well, this is not a mortal sin because I did this and that.” I have Spiritual Canon lawyers trying to play with me. “God knows I love him.” Really? You don’t show it for someone who is truly in love with God. You know the difference between a mortal and venial sin, right? Well, God doesn’t. A material sin happens when you hit your thumb with a hammer and let out some verbiage that is probably not appropriate in polite society. Material sins are instant reactions. The only difference between mortal and venial sins for someone who truly loves God is the difference between punching and slapping your wife. There is no difference.
We judge the actions but pray for the sinner. The actions can be wrong and very much so, but Jesus told us to love them and to judge their actions. We will know them by their fruits. They are not beyond His mercy. I told you about the man who brought me coffee on Sunday mornings while I was at St. Gabriel’s. He was a member of the German Schutzstaffel (Protective Echelon) and a bodyguard for Adolf Hitler. These were the bad boys in the German military. They were the worst of the worst. But this man died in the arms of Holy Mother Church. We are to forgive one another just as God has forgiven us. What is forgiveness? Forgiveness is an act of the Will. It is not an act of emotion. Love is an act of the Will. It also is not an emotion. Liking someone is an act of emotion, but love is not. When you say, “I forgive you because Christ told me to,” that doesn’t mean you are going to invite them to Christmas dinner or send them a birthday card. That is not required. Remember all our emotions, faculties, and senses are diminished by Original Sin, the sins we have committed after our Baptism, and the sins others have committed against us. They can be affected by things like a stoplight turning red just as we approach it, when a blue-haired wonder won’t get out of your way, or the kind of chocolate you had that day. Those things can immediately change our emotions. However, our Lord told us how to deal with our emotions, our dislike for people who have hurt us, and those who have neglected us. Although the effect can be immediate, it is usually not and can be a long process. We might have to bear emotional suffering all our lives. It’s like me and my family – they gave me good looks but no money. But we pray for them just as our Lord said. By the way, it was not a suggestion. In the military, a suggestion by a superior has the force of an order.
Our Lord didn’t say we have to like it. In fact, it doesn’t matter whether you like to do it, want to do it, or care about doing it . . . you just do it. You pray for those who persecute you and for those who harm you. Whatever they have done against you, pray for them. By praying for them, you may help them with their own problems and help them embrace our Lord. It also helps you. Remember, we pray for them not because we want to: “I really want to pray for that guy who scraped my car.” No, you don’t. But we pray for them because Christ told us to do so, and it will be better for them and better for us.
How will you apply this message to your life? _________________________________________
You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to AnnunciationCatholicAlbemarle.com, clicking on “Blog,” then “Categories,” and then “Sermon Notes.” On a cell phone: click on “Blog” and then “Menu.” Scroll to the bottom and click on “Categories.” Sermon Notes are also available on the Church’s Facebook page at OLA.Catholic.Church. Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.
