What if Lent Could Rekindle Your Faith? Exploring the Kerygma
Life can take us on unexpected paths, and sometimes our faith journey can feel like it’s taken a detour. If you’ve found yourself distant from your faith, or if you’re simply curious about exploring it again, this Lenten season offers a gentle invitation to reconnect. These daily reflections focus on the Kerygma, the core message of Christianity – a message of love, hope, and new beginnings. We’ll be exploring eight key “Acts” of God’s story, from creation to our present call to partnership with Him. There’s no pressure, no judgment, just an invitation to consider a different perspective and perhaps rediscover a connection you thought was lost.
Act 7 of the Kerygma: The Invitation and the Choice
“While God extends a loving invitation to all, the ultimate decision to respond rests with each individual. We are free to choose to accept or reject God’s love. This choice has eternal consequences. By choosing to follow God, we embrace life in abundance, while choosing to reject him leads to separation and ultimately, death.”
John 8:1-11
Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. But early in the morning he arrived again in the temple area, and all the people started coming to him, and he sat down and taught them.
Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her stand in the middle. They said to him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?”
They said this to test him, so that they could have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger.
But when they continued asking him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”
Again he bent down and wrote on the ground. And in response, they went away one by one, beginning with the elders.
So he was left alone with the woman before him. Then Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
She replied, “No one, sir.” Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.”
Reflection
The woman caught in adultery stood before Jesus, waiting for condemnation. She was guilty—there was no denying it. And yet, when all others walked away, Jesus remained. But instead of speaking words of judgment, He spoke words of mercy: “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.”
This is the invitation. Jesus does not ignore sin, but He also does not define us by it. His love is greater. He calls us to a new life, to step out of shame and into freedom. The question is: will we accept?
Lent is our opportunity to stand before Jesus just as she did. We bring our brokenness, our failures, our sins. And yet, in His presence, we do not find rejection—we find a love that sets us free. This is the heart of the Gospel. The choice is ours: Will we walk away unchanged, or will we accept His invitation to new life?
Prayer
Jesus, I stand before You in my weakness, in my failures, in my need for mercy. Thank You for looking upon me with love, not condemnation. Help me to say “yes” to the new life You offer. Give me the grace to leave my sin behind and walk in the freedom of Your love. Amen.
Action
Today, go to confession or spend time in prayer, surrendering a burden you have carried. Accept Jesus’ mercy and make a concrete choice to live differently.
The Kerygma
When Time Allows Reflect on the Posts in Library and Musings
Sharing
Jesus last words on Earth were to his disciples, can be found in Matthew Chap 28 when Jesus told his disciples, “Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
Jesus calls all of us to share in his redemptive mission here on Earth. I would ask you to share this Scripture reflection with your family, your friends and your acquaintances, and then share it with a couple of individuals that you may may not be comfortable sharing with, keeping in mind always the words of Jesus, And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age
Author was assisted by AI in the drafting of this Post