Day 156: I Do Not Condemn You
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I'm Father Mark Mary with Franciscan Friars at the Renewal, and this is the Rosary in a Year podcast where through prayer and meditation, the rosary brings us deeper into relationship with Jesus and Mary and becomes a source of grace for the whole world. The Rosary in a Year is brought to you by Ascension. This is day 156. To download the prayer plan for Rosary in a Year, visit ascensionpress.com forward slash rosary in a year or text R-I-Y to 33777.

You'll get an outline of how we're going to pray each month, and it's a great way to track your progress. The best place to listen to the podcast is in the Ascension app. There are special features built just for this podcast and also recordings of the full rosary with myself and other friars. I encourage you to pick up a copy of the Rosary in a Year prayer guide, a book published by Ascension that was designed to complement this podcast. You'll find all the daily readings from scripture, saint reflections, and beautiful images of the sacred art we'll be reflecting on.

- Today we will be meditating upon and praying with the third luminous mystery, the proclamation of the kingdom of God and the call to conversion with help from a painting entitled "The Adulterous Woman" by the artist Lorenzo Lotto. Okay, a brief introduction to our artist and artwork. Lorenzo Lotto was born in the year 1480, died in the year 1556. He was an Italian painter whose style reflects elements of the high Renaissance and early Mannerist eras.

He had a distinctive painting style that used bright colors and almost appeared cartoonish at times. After his death, most of his work was forgotten until it was rediscovered in the late 1800s. Our painting today was done in the year 1535. Now a description of the painting. Wearing scarlet and blue, Jesus at the center of a bustling composition extends his right hand out above his waist and

in a sign of caution and warning. To his right is a woman in cream and vivid green draping with exposed shoulders, chest and neck and uncovered blonde hair. A dense crowd of men presses in around them, arms reaching out with pointed fingers to the woman. Their faces and gestures indicate accusation, repugnance and disgust through pointed fingers and revealing eyes. Darkness muddles the vacant spaces above their heads.

One sporting a suit of armor grabs the woman's hair in his fist and angles a rod into her skirts. In the midst of the turmoil, Jesus' presence is steady and anchored. His gaze expresses sincerity and sternness as he advocates for the accused woman. Now let's take a look at Jesus and his interaction with the woman caught in adultery and her accusers and see how this fits with Jesus proclaiming the kingdom of God and the call to conversion.

In the gospel account, the accusers catch a woman caught in adultery and they bring her to Jesus. And I believe what our painting today depicts fits well with what Jesus actually does in the historical event. He places himself between the woman and her accusers. In the gospel, we know he hears them. He knows they're not concerned about the law really, or this woman at all. They've come to test and to trap him.

And they're here caught up in a frenzy of anger and confusion and self-righteousness. So they bring the scene to Jesus. And Jesus, what does he do? He lowers himself. He stoops down. He begins to write in the dust with his finger. The shouting continues and they continue to demand an answer from Jesus. Then he stands up. He says to them, "'Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone.'"

Then he lowers himself and begins to write on the ground again. And we all know what happens, right? One by one, starting with the eldest, the accusers all walk away. Jesus places himself between the accusers and the accused. He applies like the right remedy to this problem. He's humble. He acts slowly, calmly. He's anchored. He then like holds a mirror up to these men, reminds them of their own sin.

And his silence and his quiet and his slow movement gives them a moment for introspection. And then they all leave. They repent of the actions they had undertaken. They received the truth and it led to a change of behavior. There was like a metanoia or the word conversion. Then Jesus engages the woman. Notice that Jesus has protected her from her accusers and brought her now into an intimate moment where it's just the two of them.

Jesus, he doesn't water down her sin or deny it, but he speaks the truth. I do not condemn you. And then he calls her to conversion. Go and do not sin again. Right here, he's revealed to her who he is. He's revealed his heart. He's given her a chance to look into his eyes, to hear his voice filled with mercy. And he also calls her to repentance.

I believe what happens here is Jesus looks at her as no one has ever looked at her. And he speaks to her as no one has ever spoken to her. He protects her as no one has ever protected her. And he loves her as no one has ever loved her. And in all of this, he's opened to her the doors that lead to a new life, a new way, and a new law, and a new kingdom. Right?

the kingdom of God. In proclaiming the kingdom of God and calling mankind to conversion, Jesus revealing himself to the world. Like he is God in action, God who is God-ing, saving, teaching, healing, protecting, convicting, and calling to new life, right? New life in the new kingdom. And so let's turn again to this painting, right? And notice the chaos in the painting. Just imagine the shouting, the commotion, the intensity, the anger, right?

Look at the, if we can say like hate in the faces of the men here. Contrast that to Jesus. Now look at the fear and the pain on the woman's face. The redness in her eyes. Imagine the dread in her heart. Now prayerfully allow time to pass. See the interaction take place. The stones dropped. The accusers recede. Take in notice the change in the sound in the environment. And now there we are. And it's just Jesus. The woman recedes.

silence then words are spoken a burden is lifted a new life is offered and peace is communicated eventually Jesus departs and he continues on his journey and the woman returns to her home as her accusers returned to their homes but that evening they are all left thinking about the same event the same man the same eyes

the same voice and asking themselves the same questions. Who is this man that looked at me like this and spoke like this? And perhaps in this moment, the Holy Spirit prompts them to faith. He is the Lord. Go follow him. As we pray today, let us prayerfully observe this event, perhaps from the place of one of the accusers or the woman caught in sin. But pay attention to Jesus.

Try and see his face and hear his voice. Where we ourselves are prone to being accusers, let Jesus hold up a mirror before us. Show us our own need for mercy and give us the strength to drop the stones that we have picked up. And or where we are caught in shame and fear, let us see in Jesus' eyes of mercy. Let us receive his forgiveness, his lack of condemnation, and then go and sin no more.

And so now with Mary, let us pray. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners,

now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners,

now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. All right. Thanks so much for joining me and praying with me today. I look forward to continuing this journey with you again tomorrow. Poco a poco, friends. God bless y'all.