(Edited) Sunday Reflections (from) Liturgical Years 2011 (A), 2012 (B), and 2013 (C)
5th Sunday of Lent (C), March 17, 2013
Liturgical readings
Isaiah 43:16-21
Psalm 126
Philippians 3:8-14
John 8:1-11
"But from now on, avoid this sin."
The gospel story is about a woman caught in adultery. All seasoned Catholics are familiar with this gospel narrative. But if the text in the story is examined more closely, when Jesus was challenged with this moral case of a woman caught in adultery, notice what the Lord did at first: He did not react; He simply "bent down" and started to trace on the ground with His finger. The scribes and the Pharisees persisted in their questioning. So Jesus stood up and said: "Let the man among you who has no sin be the first to cast a stone at her." Then notice what the Lord did again: He bent down a second time and wrote on the ground. Without saying anything more, His action dispersed the crowd until He was alone with the woman. The Lord then counseled the woman to avoid the sin of adultery from now on.
The Lord took upon Himself our human nature, but He was without sin. His divinity gave Him authority to teach; but He remained humble. He did not raise His voice when He was challenged. And He bent down on the ground twice, tracing at first, and then a second time writing silently with His finger. He only spoke when the scribes and the Pharisees persisted in their questioning. Because of His humility, He raised the level of the crowd's understanding of a morality higher than the Jewish Law on adultery they have always known. By His wisdom and insight into sinful human nature, He applied the Law also to the scribes and Pharisees, and included the judgment of adultery also to them. With that level of consciousness thus raised, and made inclusive to those who held power and authority in the Law, the scribes and the Pharisees realized something in themselves and how the Law should include all. This made all of them and others disperse quietly. And Jesus was left with the woman. He did not condemn the woman, but counseled her to follow a path of repentance and amendment of life.
The Lord raised the morality of His time from the Law of punishment and death, to one of justice and mercy from God for all - including those who hold power and authority. With the old morality, the sinner was not given an opportunity to reform his life and reconcile himself with God, family, work, and community. But Jesus shows all that there is such a path to reconciliation with God and neighbor: the path of humility and forgiveness that can be sourced from His Person and mission. His "bending down" twice to ransom the soul of the woman caught in adultery seems like a prefiguration that can lead us to understand His great sacrifice on the Cross - an act of God's love and mercy for all humanity who have sinned at one time or another. This mystery of God's love is one that does not only condemn, but shows a path to salvation through Christ His Son.
