By Cameron Kelly

“Neither do I condemn you; go, and do not sin again.” ~ John 8:11

Meet Them Where They Are At

The phrase “meet them where they’re at” was often tossed around throughout college. If I was writing a talk, “Meet them where they’re at.” Planning a retreat? “Meet them where they’re at.” Prepping to lead a small group? “Make sure to meet them where they’re at.”

All the while, I would wonder, “What does that actually look like?” I knew I would receive them with grace and answer their questions simply and truthfully, but there was a disconnect about what I was meant to do AFTER I met them there.

In the Bible, Jesus often interacts with people who question him, sin against him, and want to love him but don’t know how. He does, of course, meet them where they’re at – but he doesn’t stop there. He offers them his love and a way for them to move forward, be better, and love him perfectly. In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus encounters a woman who was caught committing adultery and the scribes and Pharisees who were going to stone her. He tells them, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” They all leave; none have condemned her. Jesus says to her, “Neither do I condemn you,”

In the ugliness and shame of her sin, he sees her heart and meets her in the dirt and dust. Then he pulls her out of it and tells her, “GO and sin no more.”

Go and Sin No More

Jesus interacts with us in the same way. He comes to us in our sin and sorrow and embraces our hurting hearts. But he loves us way too much to leave us there. Every Mass we attend, every confession we make, every hour spent in front of the Eucharist in adoration is meeting us and offering his love to call us higher. “Go and sin no more,” he tells us, and in confession when we say the Act of Contrition, we resolve to sin no more. Our call to do better, to love Jesus more perfectly, is found in our repentance. In our repentance, we accept the love Jesus offered us when he met us in our lowliness.

We are called to, like Jesus, meet others where they are at. But it doesn’t stop there – we must also call them higher, to know Jesus, to offer his love to them through the Holy Spirit. In college, prepping for my talks, retreats, and small groups, I would make sure to care for people exactly where they needed me to. Now, a few years later, I take it further, offering them more community, more accountability, and more of Jesus’ love.

Prayer

Jesus, you promise to not only meet me where I am at, but to call me higher and closer to your perfect love. Help me to show that same love and grace when I meet others. Focus my heart on bringing others closer to you, always.

Call to Action

Go to confession this week. Pay close attention to, and reflect on, the Act of Contrition. Accept God’s love by completing your penance with intention and reverence.

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