John 8:1-11: Letting God Worry
Thursday, January 30, 2019
As I listened to the homily I thought about the times I have stepped forward when I ought to – as we were taught to do by our parents – and I knew why people do not come forward then they should. We fear retribution; we are afraid we may be cast out or punished; we are ashamed; we lack the strength. I remembered when I was in the first grade and a friend of mine and I broke a classroom rule together. It was innocuous but we intended to break the rule; in fact, I think we found it to be silly. During recess one day, we took new chalk from the box on the teacher’s desk to write on the board instead of using the short stubby pieces on the chalk tray. When the question came – as we knew it would – I stepped forward as we had agreed – we were going to show the teacher how senseless this rule was – but my friend did not. I was stunned but suffered the punishment alone. No afternoon recess.
When I arrived home I told my Mother what had happened. She first reprimanded me softly but with certainty, telling me that the teachers often bought their own supplies and that I had no right to decide how to use the donated chalk. After listening to my insistence that my friend had let me take the punishment alone, my mother said patiently, “I guess she just couldn’t fess up . . . but that doesn’t mean she didn’t want to. Maybe she just didn’t have the strength. She probably wanted to admit she had broken a classroom rule and just couldn’t. Instead of fussing about what she did or didn’t do, just be glad that you did the right thing”. She was right.
When I told my Dad that I had been punished for breaking a class rule but that my friend had not admitted her own guilt and had gotten off with no consequence, he replied as I thought he would, “Let God worry about her. You have to let people come along in their own time and way”. I could not let go of the thought that the circumstances were not fair and when I insisted that things weren’t equal my Dad answered, “Maybe not, but you will have to leave the equality part of this to God. What does or does not happen to her is really none of your business. I think you need to let God take care of this one. This is something you can’t fix by force. You’ll have to use kindness”. And then Dad added, “Now don’t snub her when you see her tomorrow. She knows she’s done wrong and she knows she should have taken her punishment just like you did. You have to get over this and smile at her. She’ll come around if you do. You’ll see”. And of course, he was right.
As I listened to the homily that day about the man who did not come forward to admit his guilt, knowing that the Law focused on the act of the woman and not her partner, I thanked my deceased parents for their wisdom and patience. I thanked God in heaven that we are created by such a kind, patient and gentle God. And I thanked Mother and Dad for teaching us how important it is . . . to act in kindness, and to let God do the worrying.
A re-post from January 30, 2012.
Image from: http://emsworth.wordpress.com/2009/03/30/an-audacious-five-picture-exhibit-at-the-frick-collection/
The Noontimes 