1st Reading - Isaiah 43:16-21
Psalm - 126:1-2,2-3,4-5,6
2nd Reading - Philippians 3:8-14
Gospel - John 8:1-11
The
gospel reading of the fifth Sunday of Lent taken from John 11th
chapter presents Jesus encountering a woman brought to him by a group of scribes and the Pharisees with the accusation
of adultery. They brought her to Jesus with the malicious intention of testing
him and thus get some charge to bring against him. Placing the woman before
Jesus the men said, “the law of Moses commanded
us to stone such. What do you say about her?” If Jesus approved the law of
Moses and thus allowed her to be stoned then his claim that Son of God came to
call sinners will be questioned. If he
contradicted then he would be interpreted
disrespecting the law of Moses which was punishable. Knowing the
conspiracy of the men brought the women Jesus did not respond to them instantly
in haste, rather took time and meditated over the matter and certainly sought
the guidance of his heavenly Father as it had been his normal practice before
taking any important decision.
Jesus used the occasion to stir the conscience of those men
who always thought to be right and law abiding with a challenging invitation, “Let
him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”
Such an unexpected personalized invitation from the part of Jesus whom they
wanted to trap shocked them and pricked their conscience and hearts. They realized their sinful situation and must
have been ashamed of their act of hypocrisy and thus, left the place in silence
leaving the woman with Jesus without getting an answer from him.
In
2016 Pope Francis on the occasion of the Jubilee of Priests in Rome, meditating
on this particular gospel episode said that Jesus was in fact opening a space
of "non-condemnation". He freed
her from the judgement of others and neither had he judged her: “Nor do I
condemn you”. The command of Jesus, "Go and sin no more", had to do
with the future, to help her to make a new start and to "walk in
love", the Pope said. "Such is the sensitivity of mercy: it looks
with compassion on the past and offers encouragement for the future."
The
season of Lent is a season of special grace to experience the compassionate and
merciful love of God. He doesn’t condemn us rather calls us to begin a new
life. He offers repeated opportunities
to come out of our sinful life related to both chastity and charity like that of
judging others and wanting to see and enjoy others being punished, being self-righteous
like the Scribes and Pharisees looking at the dust in others eyes while
ignoring the blocks in our own eyes. The liturgical readings of today give us
the happy hope that our God does not condemn us rather wants us to repent and
return to him for which he offers additional time and opportunity: “Nor do I
condemn you,” “go and sin no more.” With a sense of gratitude to God for this
act of merciful love for us sinful people let us make a new start and walk in
His love.
By - Rev. Fr. Maria Arul CMF
arulcmf@gmail.com
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