This week we are again confronted with the great compassion of Jesus. It is one of those iconic images we have of Jesus. In fact it invites us to look at our own lives and where we stand before God and the world. The woman caught in adultery is a haunting story reminding us that none of us are perfect and no one has right to cast the first stone. But the story is ultimately one of hope and one of compassion. Just as we are asked not to condemn others, Jesus himself chooses not to condemn us either. In a few weeks’ time we celebrate Easter, the great mystery of God’s love and redemption for the whole human race. While Lent is a time which calls us to be all that we can be, Easter is the great promise of God’s love and mercy. Surely there can be no greater kind of hope for us anywhere in creation.