Serial Divorcee

Yesterday was Michaelangelo's birthday.  This is a picture of one of his sculptures from a calendar that I bought in Italy in 1987.

For my birthday a friend sent me a brief article from Magnificat  for February 26 in which Father Anthony Giambrone writes how amazing it is that the first person to whom Jesus reveals that he is the Messiah is a "serial divorcee." (John 4)  He goes on to point out that she has not only been divorced five times, but has given up trying.  Jesus observes, "the one you have now is not your husband."

The fact that John in his Gospel records this scene as well as the scene of the woman caught in adultery (8:1-11) indicates not only that Jesus was accepting of such sinners, but that the early Christians were accepting of such sinners (or he wouldn't have included it his Gospel.)  We pray that today's followers of Jesus might really follow him.