Today’s readings are hopeful. First, the prophet Isaiah quotes the Lord, “See, I am doing something new! Do you not perceive it?” The Psalm agrees: “The Lord has done great things for us.” St. Paul tells the Philippians how he is leaving behind all the things he used to know. “I consider them so much rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him…. I continue my pursuit in hope … straining forward to what lies ahead.” The glory of Easter Sunday lies ahead for us. First, however, we must struggle through the rest of Lent, and the darkness and grief of Holy Week before we arrive at our goal. Finally, we hear the Gospel reading of the women taken in adultery and Our Lord's wise pronouncement of mercy.