April 7, 2019: 5th Sunday Lent C
April 7, 2019: 5th Sunday Lent C
(Audio Homily) https://oembed.libsyn.com/embed?item_id=9302465
Do you ever wonder whatever happened to a person you met in the past? I often think of an 8 year old boy who came to confession to me about 10 years ago. Before he sat down to go to confession, he explained his life situation--his mom died a year prior and he had just learned that his dad was incarcerated out of state. I remember being speechless when he told me his circumstances. That little boy should be a young man, perhaps in college or working. Sometimes when I’m visiting our local jail, that little boy comes to my mind. I hope and pray that his father has been released.
This week’s Gospel story of the woman caught in adultery prompted me to wonder what happened to that woman after Jesus told her that he did not condemn her and to go and sin no more. Did she continue that life style? Or, did she change her life, perhaps even become Jesus’ faithful disciple? Both in the case of the 8 year old boy and the woman caught in adultery, we have to wonder how a person’s trajectory in life changes when someone believes in their goodness despite their background or sinfulness. In the case of the woman caught in adultery, her life — full of potential and dreams — would have ended far too early had she been stoned to death as a result of the judgment of the Scribes and Pharisees.
Our Lord’s words, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her,” along with whatever he wrote on the ground resulted in defusing the thirst for blood by the mob. It happens that other people show us a reflection of our own faults. And unfortunately, we project our frustration onto others. When the men gathered around the woman caught in adultery, they were secretly harboring their own inability to follow the law of God--to be chaste and pure of heart. When Jesus challenged them with his words and actions, their secret was unveiled; the woman’s adultery was their own potential adultery and infidelity to God. Does this not also happen with us? We judge others for things we fail to see in ourselves.
The danger of judging is that we often cross the line of fraternal correction into the territory of shaming a person. To shame a person is to seek to make someone feel disgraced, humiliated, or regretful. The person being shamed experiences intense painful feelings and begins to believe that they are flawed and unworthy of acceptance or belonging. Shaming aims to denigrate or belittle a person’s identity. Only God is to judge, for He created each of us, fully knowing our gifts and weaknesses. And Jesus revealed how God deals with our weaknesses and failures--not with condemnation but with merciful love.
As we approach Palm Sunday and Holy Week, let us ponder how we can be more Christ-like in our attitude toward our family and neighbor. The woman who was defended and forgiven by Jesus represents each of us. Through his patience and mercy, Jesus offers an opportunity for conversion and a new beginning for each of us. Likewise, we should be an instrument of his patience and understanding with others.
(Audio Homily) https://oembed.libsyn.com/embed?item_id=9302465
Do you ever wonder whatever happened to a person you met in the past? I often think of an 8 year old boy who came to confession to me about 10 years ago. Before he sat down to go to confession, he explained his life situation--his mom died a year prior and he had just learned that his dad was incarcerated out of state. I remember being speechless when he told me his circumstances. That little boy should be a young man, perhaps in college or working. Sometimes when I’m visiting our local jail, that little boy comes to my mind. I hope and pray that his father has been released.
Our Lord’s words, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her,” along with whatever he wrote on the ground resulted in defusing the thirst for blood by the mob. It happens that other people show us a reflection of our own faults. And unfortunately, we project our frustration onto others. When the men gathered around the woman caught in adultery, they were secretly harboring their own inability to follow the law of God--to be chaste and pure of heart. When Jesus challenged them with his words and actions, their secret was unveiled; the woman’s adultery was their own potential adultery and infidelity to God. Does this not also happen with us? We judge others for things we fail to see in ourselves.
As we approach Palm Sunday and Holy Week, let us ponder how we can be more Christ-like in our attitude toward our family and neighbor. The woman who was defended and forgiven by Jesus represents each of us. Through his patience and mercy, Jesus offers an opportunity for conversion and a new beginning for each of us. Likewise, we should be an instrument of his patience and understanding with others.
