Good morning, this is Cardinal Francis George, and I invite you to join me for the next few minutes to reflect with Father Robert Baron on the word of God, which is the word on fire.

Father Baron will challenge us to open our hearts to the word on fire, which is God's word of love for each of us.

If our hearts are open, the Lord can change and transform us, so that we might speak with love about the one who is love.

The Archdiocese of Chicago through the generosity of Sacred Heart Parish in Winetka now presents the word on fire.

Peace be with you.

Friends, today I want to talk to you about this wonderful reading proposed to us for the fifth Sunday of Lent.

It's one of the most beautifully crafted, carefully written stories in the New Testament.

It's from the Gospel of John, and it's the familiar story of the woman caught in adultery.

Let me read to you just a little bit now from the beginning of the story.

Then the scribes in the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of 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.

They caught her in the very act of adultery.

Think first of the attitude of these Pharisees.

Where were they standing?

What were they doing?

Think of the voyeuristic quality of that admission.

We caught her in the very act of adultery.

And then the mob forms.

Full of that irrational enthusiasm that characterizes all moms.

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