Posted: 3/15/2013 6:16:29 PM EDT
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First Reading: Isaiah 43:16-21 16. Thus says the Lord, who gave you a way through the sea and a path through the torrent of waters, 17. who led out the chariot and the horse, the column of robust troops. They went to sleep together, and they will not arise. They have been crushed like flax, and they have been extinguished. 18. You need not call to mind the past, nor consider the things of antiquity. 19. Behold, I am accomplishing new things. And presently, they will spring forth. With certainty, you will know them. I will make a way in the desert, and rivers in an impassible place. 20. The wild beasts of the field will glorify me, with the serpents and the ostriches. For I have brought waters to the desert, rivers to inaccessible places, in order to give drink to my people, to my elect. 21. This is the people whom I have formed for myself. They will speak my praise. Psalm: Psalms 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6 (3) The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy. When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion, we were like men dreaming. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with rejoicing. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy. Then they said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.” The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad indeed. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy. Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like the torrents in the southern desert. Those that sow in tears shall reap rejoicing. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy. Although they go forth weeping, carrying the seed to be sown, They shall come back rejoicing, carrying their sheaves. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy. Second Reading: Philippians 3:8-14 8. Brothers and Sisters: Yet truly, I consider everything to be a loss, because of the preeminent knowledge of Jesus Christ, my Lord, for whose sake I have suffered the loss of everything, considering it all to be like dung, so that I may gain Christ, 9. and so that you may be found in him, not having my justice, which is of the law, but that which is of the faith of Christ Jesus, the justice within faith, which is of God. 10. So shall I know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his Passion, having been fashioned according to his death, 11. if, by some means, I might attain to the resurrection which is from the dead. 12. It is not as though I have already received this, or were already perfect. But rather I pursue, so that by some means I might attain, that in which I have already been attained by Christ Jesus. 13. Brothers, I do not consider that I have already attained this. Instead, I do one thing: forgetting those things that are behind, and extending myself toward those things that are ahead, 14. I pursue the destination, the prize of the heavenly calling of God in Christ Jesus. Gospel: John 8:1-11 1. But Jesus continued on to the Mount of Olives. 2. And early in the morning, he went again to the temple; and all the people came to him. And sitting down, he taught them. 3. Now the scribes and Pharisees brought forward a woman caught in adultery, and they stood her in front of them. 4. And they said to him: “Teacher, this woman was just now caught in adultery. 5. And in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such a one. Therefore, what do you say?” 6. But they were saying this to test him, so that they might be able to accuse him. Then Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the earth. 7. And then, when they persevered in questioning him, he stood upright and said to them, “Let whoever is without sin among you be the first to cast a stone at her.” 8. And bending down again, he wrote on the earth. 9. But upon hearing this, they went away, one by one, beginning with the eldest. And Jesus alone remained, with the woman standing in front of him. 10. Then Jesus, raising himself up, said to her: “Woman, where are those who accused you? Has no one condemned you?” 11. And she said, “No one, Lord.” Then Jesus said: “Neither will I condemn you. Go, and now do not choose to sin anymore.” Overview of the Gospel: • Some ancient manuscripts of John omit the episode we see in this Sunday’s Gospel reading, while some place it elsewhere in John’s Gospel or in Luke. It has been defined by the Church as canonical and thus inspired Scripture. • The setting is the Jerusalem temple during the Jewish feast of Tabernacles (or Booths), a harvest feast occurring in September which recalled God’s providence to Israel during their forty years of wandering in the desert. During the seven days of the feast, Jews would build and live in small tents, or booths, to commemorate that time. • Jesus’ opponents bring before him a woman who they say has been caught in the act of adultery. They demand a judgment from him, not because they respect his opinion, but as a device to trap him. If he tells them to stone her, he would be liable to Roman law which reserved the death penalty to itself (see John 18:31). If he orders them to let her go, he will be seen as condoning sin and going against Moses (Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 22:23-24). • Jesus chooses neither option, instead skillfully turning the question back on his accusers while at the same time demonstrating both mercy and justice. Questions: • How is this situation a trap for Jesus? What would the Pharisees accuse Jesus of if he told them to let her go? If he told them to stone her? How does he spring the trap (verse 7)? • How would the woman just caught in adultery have felt? What was the significance of Jesus’ question in verse 10? • How does Jesus’ response to the woman exemplify “grace and truth” (John 1:17)? How does Jesus demonstrate by his words and actions that God is doing a “new thing” with the coming of the kingdom (see the First Reading)? • How does the way Jesus treated this woman help you face your sins? • Jesus accepts you “as is.” Does that free you to change, or does it support your bad behavior? How so? • What can you learn from Jesus about helping a friend who has fallen? |
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Here we are at the fifth week of Lent already; wow!
• How is this situation a trap for Jesus? What would the Pharisees accuse Jesus of if he told them to let her go? If he told them to stone her? How does he spring the trap (verse 7)?
Similar to the tribute money trap of Mark 12:13-17, Jesus must, so His opponents think, reject either the law of Moses or the authority of Rome. Sinful men always seem to try and "box you in" with an "either/or" situation. Notice how our Blessed Lord moves the argument up, upwards to a much higher plane, and not only that, He "personalizes" it. Asking: "Who among each of you is sinless..." You don't mess with God in disputation, rhetoric, or argumentation! You'll loose every time! If Jesus merely let the woman go, he would be accused of violating Mosaic law and sanctioning grave sin. Interestingly enough, one of the issues here seems to be the mercy of Jesus and the woman in sin. All of us have sinned. All of us must turn to the Lord in grateful thanksgiving for His mercy rather than lashing out at others in self-righteous anger. The passage which constitutes our reading today is absent from many early manuscripts, not appearing until around the third century, but it was in the Vulgate when the Magisterium, at the Council of Trent (1545-1563) [and one must assume at the Council of Hippo (393) which defined the list of New Testament books and the Council of Carthage (397) which declared them inspired, although neither are ecumenical councils] defined the canon of sacred scripture. Therefore, the Church regards it as canonical and inspired. Saint Augustine said the reason doubts were raised about this passage was that it shows Jesus to be so merciful that some rigorists thought it would lead to a relaxation of moral rules – and therefore copyists suppressed it from their manuscripts. Springing the trap on the woman's accusers was pure brilliance! Characteristically, Jesus refuses to deal with the case as merely a legal matter, but treats it practically. This is the only passage in scripture where Jesus is said to have written anything. Ponder that for a bit--the ONLY reference to Jesus writing anything! Patristic authors suggest that Jesus was invoking Jeremiah 17:13 “Lord, on whom Israel’s hope is fixed, all who reject you will be inscribed in the dust, for they have rejected the source of living water, the Lord.” Or it could be no more than Jesus idly tracing figures on the ground to indicate disinterest in the proceedings. My Pastor in his homily last night at the vigil mass suggested Jesus may have been writing down the sins of the accusers so they could visually see their own sinfulness! Talk about "in your face" confrontation with evil! Our blessed Lord never shies from either truth or grace! 
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