So they picked up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid and went out of the temple area. // John 8:59

I was in my last year of undergrad and felt I had a good grasp on what to expect from my capstone course to complete my degree. I remember the professor walking into class and thinking, “This is who is going to teach us?” She didn’t look like the seasoned professors I was used to, the ones who would walk into a lecture hall and confidently take command of the podium. To my horror, she didn’t have a syllabus prepared on the first day of class. How was I supposed to write down when my assignments would be due in my planner?

I was invested in my broadcast journalism career and worked towards ensuring my resume reflected my dedication, persistence, and hard work for my future television gig. In addition to all of that, it turned out this lecturer was experienced in print journalism. I had already made up my mind about people who lectured about print.

“So they picked up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid and went out of the temple area” (John 8:59).

How many stones do I throw at Jesus when I think badly about someone like my former professor because of my own presumptions?

In today’s Gospel reading we see how the people press Jesus with their questions (John 8:52-53). It's so easy to discredit the Son of God because of how He speaks (John 8:58). Here He is and yet the disbelief turns the people's hearts into the physical stones they throw at Him.

I would love to say I have since outgrown my youthful judgments. In some ways I have and in other ways I haven’t. I realize this corruption inside of me comes from a lack of love.

Sister, do your judgments or assumptions of others become the stones that you throw within your heart? It stings to consider the ways we can harm others with our thoughts. I invite you throughout the remaining days of this penitential season to allow your heart to turn towards the mercy He offers us and extend that mercy to others.

[bctt tweet="Turn towards mercy. // Mytae Carrasco Wallace" username="blessedisshe__"]

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