"Then Jesus said, 'Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.'" To the woman caught in adultery, Jesus was literally a savior. She was about to suffer the death penalty, according to the law of Moses, but the Lord preserved her life. He did not pretend she was innocent or excuse her behavior. His protection was not the result of anything the woman did or said to earn his favor. Rather, his freely bestowed mercy became an opportunity for her conversion. He saved her and set her free--not only from the self-righteous scribes and Pharisees--but from her own destructive behavior. The woman's physical life was spared, and if she chose to follow Jesus' instruction to abandon sin, her spiritual life was also saved as a result of this dramatic encounter.
We also have access to this freedom. When he died on the cross for us, Jesus became our savior too. Instead of condemning us, he set us free from the power of sin. But like the woman in the Gospel, we have a choice to make. Jesus' sacrifice is sufficient to remove the "death penalty" for us, but we are the ones who decide whether or not we will "sin anymore." We decide whether we will be slaves to selfishness, lust, and envy or whether we will pursue a life of generosity, self-control, and peace. Jesus does everything he can for us, short of taking our will captive. We, finally, have to decide: will I follow the path of Jesus, who has saved me, by resolving to sin no more? Or will I depart from my savior, and return to the same old self-destructive patterns?
The holy season of Lent is made to assist us in our decision to repent and to change for the better. There is no better time than now to sincerely resolve to begin anew.