Amanda Knox prepares to fly home to the US after she and ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were cleared of murdering the British student Meredith Kercher. The court has declared her innocent of that crime. The Knox family are obviously delighted, while the Kercher family continue to mourn the death of their daughter.
There has been so much publicity around this case that it is hard to realise that this is not a TV drama, but real life.
At all levels of public life, questions are asked about the guilt of people, ranging from England's rugby players, Premier league footballers, and politicians, to bankers, tax exiles, Russian billionaires and so on. Many hours of discussion and debate ask where guilt or responsibility lies. It seems to matter to us to know what makes someone else guilty or innocent.
But most of us do not live under the scrutiny of the press, and so we may think that how we behave doesn't matter too much. We may happily apply less stringent standards to ourselves, often justifying our own bad behaviour by assuming we are the special case.
The Psalmist had a different view. He knows that none of us is innocent, yet he finds mercy from the God who made him. 'The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever.
He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. (Psalm 103.8-10)
To know that I am guilty, but have been graciously forgiven, leads me to want to live a different sort of life - being generous and hopeful for all that I meet today.
Best wishes,
Richard
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