Time and time again, as Jesus healed and restored bodies and spirits, he said, “Go and sin no more.” Was Jesus making a judgement and loving at the same time? He showed mercy and gave the valuable gift of life- sometimes physically, always spiritually- and he did judge the sin while loving the sinner. Can we even get our minds around how to do that in life today? I have seen occasions of it among people I know for whom it became a means to restored life after failing miserably,,,,,In each case observed it occurred among people who truly loved the Lord and loved the person and who took the time, in prayer and in wise counsel to those involved to bring both correction for the sin and celebration of forgiveness, with confidence that the person acknowledged, repented, and if necessary, made amends. Ignoring sin for fear of having our own thrown in our faces will never bring the kingdom of heaven to earth. Every time we come to the prayer of confession at communion we are to submit our own lives to the scrutiny of the Holy Spirit and ask God to convict us that we may repent and be forgiven. In fact, such an examination of conscience is appropriate anytime we pray. And hopefully, we will get better and better at going and sinning no more.. It’s a process and it takes most of us all of our lives, if we’re even trying at all.
