To “show mercy,” Jesus goes beyond “the law that demanded stoning.” And so he tells the woman to go in peace. “Mercy,” the Bishop of Rome said during that morning sermon, “is something difficult to understand: it does not erase sins.” What erases sins “is God’s forgiveness.” But mercy is the way in which God forgives. Because “Jesus could have said: I forgive you, now go! As he said to the paralyzed man: ‘Your sins are forgiven!’ ” Here, in this situation, “Jesus goes further and advises the woman not to sin again. And here we see the merciful attitude of Jesus: he defends sinners from their
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