GOSPEL > John 8:2-11 Early in the morning [Jesus] 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.”
DAY 5 > MEDITATION Out of their hiding places will come
certain types of reporters, some of them we find less than reputable, but out
of their hiding places they will come if these photographers/reporters (paparazzi,
too) sense even the slightest bit of impropriety.
They will pounce on their prey with their flashbulbs, lenses,
and microphones. And, as we have been taught about journalism and -- even
e-mail – the pen is mightier than the sword, even if your “paper” is really a
computer screen and the only “ink” is in your printer.
In such a world, even the digital camera in our phones could be
a lethal weapon to capture an image that could damage someone’s reputation.
It’s a small world after all. And, we never know who is watching. Not good
news.
The Pharisees want to make a visible example of this person, of
her sins, so as to levy punishment. They
want a public confession and punishment.
And, if this were our view of confession, we would also prefer
to hide from the cameras and microphones.
Visibility of sins – and sinfulness - for Jesus our Lord – is,
on the one hand, about law and
order. But it is a law and order without attorneys and prisons. Better news.
For example, in the sacrament of confession – this sacrament of
forgiveness – we are invited to bring ourselves forward into the light. But,
there will be no flash photography permitted. It is between you and Christ.
In other words, to confess our sins to our priest, we do this
not because we fear the “crowd ” .In other words, we do not fear that the crowd
will take our lives away.
Rather, we do this because we believe
that sin can take our lives away, sin can take the life out of us.
And, when we confess our sins, we admit – and we ask God to give
our life back to us.
Jesus is committed to teach us about the seriousness of our sins
while also emphasizing the strength of his mercy.
The Pharisees and scribes, as prosecutors, do not agree with
this defense strategy. They would suggest that repentance is only possible for
those who already good and just.
But what Jesus suggests to the Pharisees and scribes and
paparazzi is that – “They that
are well have no need of a physician, but they that are sick. For I came not to
call the just, but sinners.” (Mark 2:17)
Jesus intercedes with his mercy for sinners, for you and for me,
and just as he intercedes for the woman in the Gospel.
Jesus is also more interested in our motives and repentance than
in the sins themselves. Jesus says to her, “Then, neither do I condemn you … Go
and sin no more.” (John 8:11)
Jesus offers us his forgiveness and his intercession in his
Passion, Death and Resurrection, so that we also might be prepared to live in
freedom.
He even intercedes for us in the public
square right out there where everyone can see us, so that we might live in
freedom both in public and in private. That’s the Good News.
DAY 5 > REFLECTIONS & QUESTIONS
This episode of individual forgiveness of the woman caught in
adultery happens at the Jerusalem
Temple, signifying the
connection among both private and public devotion to God.
Catholic Catechism n. 583 Like the prophets before him Jesus expressed
the deepest respect for the Temple in Jerusalem. It was in the Temple that Joseph and
Mary presented him forty days after his birth. At the age of twelve he decided
to remain in the Temple
to remind his parents that he must be about his Father's business. He went
there each year during his hidden life at least for Passover. His public
ministry itself was patterned by his pilgrimages to Jerusalem for the great Jewish feasts.
DAY 5 – QUESTION 1 – How can I renew my commitment to
a personal relationship with Jesus, while also continuing my responsibility to
pray with the Catholic community and Sunday Mass?
DAY 5 – QUESTION
2 – What difficulties and distractions do I find at Sunday Mass or at church?
How can I prepare myself, before going to church so that I can be in God’s
presence? (E.g., waking up earlier? Taking time for silence at home before
leaving for church, praying for the difficult person that I will meet along the
way?)
