In God, we have hope for newness. God does not dwell in the past and neither should we. The divine voice was very clear: forget the things of old; God was preparing to do something completely new. He would bring new life where there was none; the earth and its people would thrive. This is always God's intention, but humans get in the way. Regardless of how much our life might be in bits and pieces, God can, and will, make it new. St Paul was quite proud of his status and achievements as a Pharisee - he led an upright life. And yet he insisted that he regarded it all as rubbish. Not that it was but compared to what he now experienced in Christ, it certainly seemed so.

In Lent, while we acknowledge that we have sinned, sin cannot overwhelm us. It is on Christ we focus. Our true encounter with Christ can change our values and outlook on life completely. The story of a murderous mob and the woman taken in adultery has something to teach us. Jesus took them on a journey - into themselves. With His pointed questions, He showed them their own inner darkness and how they were projecting it onto this woman and making her a scapegoat. When we spot faults in others, it should act as a mirror. We would not have spotted it unless we too were in some ways guilty. Then we raise our eyes to Jesus for mercy.