Mar. 17, 2013
(Jn 8:1-11)
Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
But early in the morning he arrived again in the temple area,
and all the people started coming to him,
and he sat down and taught them.
Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman
who had been caught in adultery
and made her stand in the middle.
They said to him,
“Teacher, this woman was caught
in the very act of committing adultery.
Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women.
So what do you say?”
They said this to test him,
so that they could have some charge to bring against him.
Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger.
But when they continued asking him,
he straightened up and said to them,
“Let the one among you who is without sin
be the first to throw a stone at her.”
Again he bent down and wrote on the ground.
And in response, they went away one by one,
beginning with the elders.
So he was left alone with the woman before him.
Then Jesus straightened up and said to her,
“Woman, where are they?
Has no one condemned you?”
She replied, “No one, sir.”
Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you.
Go, and from now on do not sin any more.”
But early in the morning he arrived again in the temple area,
and all the people started coming to him,
and he sat down and taught them.
Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman
who had been caught in adultery
and made her stand in the middle.
They said to him,
“Teacher, this woman was caught
in the very act of committing adultery.
Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women.
So what do you say?”
They said this to test him,
so that they could have some charge to bring against him.
Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger.
But when they continued asking him,
he straightened up and said to them,
“Let the one among you who is without sin
be the first to throw a stone at her.”
Again he bent down and wrote on the ground.
And in response, they went away one by one,
beginning with the elders.
So he was left alone with the woman before him.
Then Jesus straightened up and said to her,
“Woman, where are they?
Has no one condemned you?”
She replied, “No one, sir.”
Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you.
Go, and from now on do not sin any more.”
As the Lenten Season nears its close, the Gospel reminds us once again of the need to recognize our sinfulness and the need to return to God. The readings hint to the joy that comes from God. Isaiah tells us that the Lord is "doing something new". With the Psalmist, we proclaim that "The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy". St. Paul shares that "gaining Christ" is the supreme good. These readings before the Gospel anticipates the joy that awaits us in the days to come, when we will liturgically remember and celebrate the Paschal Mystery or the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus.
The Gospel presents to us the story of the reconciliation of the woman condemned by the Pharisees and scribes. With this, we are again reminded of the importance of reconciliation, of being aware of and sorry for our sins and coming back to God in the Sacrament of Confession.
The adulterous woman is lucky, if we think about it, because the scribes and Pharisees remind her of her sinfulness. But who reminds these people around her of their sinfulness? Good thing they all went to Jesus and He was able to remind them!
Telling someone that they have sinned is not per se wrong. What made it wrong in the context of today's Gospel story is the intention of the scribes and Pharisees. They pointed out the sin of the woman because they wanted to test Jesus. Our Lord, on the other hand, while acknowledging the sin of the woman, responds instead with mercy, forgiveness and an exhortation to sin no more.
As Christians, we are called to practice fraternal correction. When we are aware of others' sins, it is our duty to try and help them get up from their fall. There is a big difference between telling somebody that they are in sin in order to lead them to repentance and doing the same but with the intention of condemning and humiliating them. Ask any ethics expert and they'll agree: the intention makes a difference.
Inspired by Jesus' words in today's Gospel, we are reminded that even as we try to lead others into repentance, we must not forget to recognize our own sinfulness. This two-fold responsibility of admitting our own faults and correcting others is something that the Pharisees and scribes didn't practice.
Conversion is a journey, and we as a Church take this Lenten Season as an opportunity to advance in the journey towards Easter, towards death to sin and new life in Christ. St. Paul tells us our goal: "gaining Christ" and "possessing eternal life". Christ is thus our goal, and our companion as well. We take this journey of repentance and leading others to repentance, making ours God's desire for "everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 2:4)."
The Gospel presents to us the story of the reconciliation of the woman condemned by the Pharisees and scribes. With this, we are again reminded of the importance of reconciliation, of being aware of and sorry for our sins and coming back to God in the Sacrament of Confession.
The adulterous woman is lucky, if we think about it, because the scribes and Pharisees remind her of her sinfulness. But who reminds these people around her of their sinfulness? Good thing they all went to Jesus and He was able to remind them!
Telling someone that they have sinned is not per se wrong. What made it wrong in the context of today's Gospel story is the intention of the scribes and Pharisees. They pointed out the sin of the woman because they wanted to test Jesus. Our Lord, on the other hand, while acknowledging the sin of the woman, responds instead with mercy, forgiveness and an exhortation to sin no more.
As Christians, we are called to practice fraternal correction. When we are aware of others' sins, it is our duty to try and help them get up from their fall. There is a big difference between telling somebody that they are in sin in order to lead them to repentance and doing the same but with the intention of condemning and humiliating them. Ask any ethics expert and they'll agree: the intention makes a difference.
Inspired by Jesus' words in today's Gospel, we are reminded that even as we try to lead others into repentance, we must not forget to recognize our own sinfulness. This two-fold responsibility of admitting our own faults and correcting others is something that the Pharisees and scribes didn't practice.
Conversion is a journey, and we as a Church take this Lenten Season as an opportunity to advance in the journey towards Easter, towards death to sin and new life in Christ. St. Paul tells us our goal: "gaining Christ" and "possessing eternal life". Christ is thus our goal, and our companion as well. We take this journey of repentance and leading others to repentance, making ours God's desire for "everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 2:4)."
