Bài Giảng Chúa Nhật thứ Năm Mùa Chay Năm C
Tôi nhớ cách đây gần năm mươi (50) năm, Sau mùa hè năm 75, Sau khi cộng sản nắm quyền kiểm soát miền nam Việt Nam, tôi chứng kiến một số linh mục bị lực lượng chính quyền địa phương lôi ra khỏi nhà xứ. Họ tuyên bố rằng những linh mục đó đã nổi dậy chống lại Chính phủ mới, và đảng cộng sản ... Và một đêm sau lễ Giáng sinh, cảnh sát địa phương đã đập cửa và khám xét nhà của chúng tôi mà không cần lệnh và họ đã bắt bố tôi đi cùng với cuốn kinh thánh của ông ấy với một số ghi chú bố tôi ghi chép trong ấy. Ho cho rằng bố tôi đã viết sự phản ánh của bố tôi trên ấy để chống lại nhà nước và họ coi bố tôi như là một tên tội phạm và bỏ tù bố tôi trong nhiều tháng mà không có sự xét xử nào.
Những người tự cho mình là kẻ tốt hơn cô trong xã hội của cô đang gào thét lên rằng cô phải chết. Theo như Luật Môsen thì cô phải bị xử như thế. Điều này Chúa Giêsu sẽ phải nói gì và phải làm gì? Nếu Chúa cứu cô khỏi chết thì Chúa sẽ đi ngược lại với luật của Môisen, Nếu để họ giết cô thì coi như Chúa đi ngược lại đức bác ái, thương người mà Ngài đã dạy. Nhóm người do thái này đắ thắng, họ chắc chắn rằng họ sé làm cho Chúa phải sập vào trong cái bẫy của họ. Ho coi như đã trói chặt hai tay của Chúa. Điều này, Chúa Giêsu đấng nhân lành nhất trên thế gian này một là phải chống lại Luật Môisen hai là phải đồng ý với họ là cô này phải chết.
Chắc chúng cũng đã biết, trong những tiếng ồn ào, xì xầm, cô gái nhìn lên và thấy Chúa đang nhìn cô và cô đã cảm nhận được lòng thương xót của Chúa đã dành cho cô. Trong cuộc đời của cô, không ai đã quan tâm đến cô ấy. Những người đàn ông đến với cô rất nhiều, nhưng những người đàn ông này như những con thú chỉ đến với cô qua đường như là một món trò chơi không hơn không kém, họ không quan đến cô, việc sống chết của cô họ chẳng quan tâm. Các nhà lãnh đạo tôn giáo của cô cũng không quan tâm đến cô. Gia đình của cô có lẽ đã từ bỏ cô ấy rồi. Nhưng chỉ co một mình Chúa Giêsu là người đã quan tâm cô. Khi cô ta đươc Chúa xót thương, không những cô chỉ được cứu sống thân xác mà thôi, mà cô đã có được cái một phẩm giá mới. Cô đã được tha thứ và bây giờ cô ta có thể đón nhận được một cuộc sống mới.
Anh chị em thân mến trong Chúa Kitô, những người Pha-ri-si muốn giết người phụ nữ tội lỗi. Nhưng Chúa Giê-su muốn cho cô một cơ hội khác. Và đây là sứ mệnh của Chúa Giêsu. Ngài đến thế gian để chiến thắng tội lỗi và sự chết với lòng thương xót và sự phục sinh. Chúa Giêsu đến để dẫn dắt và đưa mỗi người chúng ta đến với sự cứu rỗi và giải thoát chúng ta khỏi cảnh lưu đày trong tội lỗi và đem chúng ta đến với sự sống vĩnh cửu, giống như Thiên Chúa đã dẫn đưa dân Israel ra khỏi chốn lưa đày ở Ba-by-lôn và đưa họ trở về Giê-ru-sa-lem. Chúng ta là những người theo Kito giáo chúng ta theo Chúa. Chúng ta là môn đệ của Chúa Giêsu Đấng Cứu Thế. Nếu nhiệm vụ của Chúa là cho mọi người một cơ hội khác, thì nhiệm vụ của chúng ta cũng phải như vậy. Khi Chúa Giêsu truyền lệnh cho chúng ta “các con hãy yêu nhau như ta đã yêu thương các con”, đó không phải là ý của Ngài sao? Chúng ta được mời gọi để trở thành người đại sứ của lòng Chúa thương xót. Chúng ta được kêu gọi trở thành công cụ của sự Phục sinh.
Để làm được như vậy, chúng ta sẽ phải đau khổ, giống như các linh mục và bố tôi hơn 40 năm trước, cũng giống như Chúa Giêsu Kitô đã phải chịu đựng bao nhiêu là đau khổ trước khi từ cõi chết sống lại. Chúng ta sẽ phải chịu chết với chính mình, để chối bỏ, tránh xa những khuynh hướng tự nhiên của chúng ta là tức giận, oán hờn, trả thù và chỉ trích. Và vì vậy, mỗi người chúng ta cần phải tự hỏi chính bản thân là: Liệu có ai đó trong cuộc đời mình cần có thêm một cơ hội để sống? Có ai đó trong cuộc đời mà chúng ta đã ghét bỏ, giận hờn, bực tức? nhưng đối với Chúa thì không? Có ai trong cuộc đời mà chúng ta đã lên án, như những người Pha-ri-siêu đã lên án người đàn bà ngoại tình này không? Có ai đó trong đời mà chúng ta đã muốn tiêu diệt bởi vì những lời đàm tiếu, dèm pha hay chỉ trích của họ không? Có người nào trong lòng chúng ta đang muốn tiêu diệt không?
Có lẽ một số người nào đó mà trong lòng chúng ta có thể nghĩ ngay lập tức. Nhưng cũng có những người khác mà chúng ta cần phải cầu xin Chúa Thánh Thần giúp ban cho chúng chúng ta có được ánh sáng để nhận ra. Nhưng tất cả chúng ta cần phải thay đổi. Ngày nay, chúng ta cần áp dụng hay học lại cách thương yêu và biết thương xót của Chúa. Khi Chúa Giêsu đến với chúng ta trong Hình Bánh và Rượu, chúng ta hãy cảm tạ ơn Chúa vì Chúa đã không lên án chúng ta, và chúng ta hãy hứa với Chúa là với ân sủng của Chúa ban cho chúng ta. Chúng ta cũng nên phải cố gắng hết sức tỏ lòng độ lượng với mọi nguòi và sẵn sàng cho những ai đang đối nghịch, phạm lỗi với chúng ta một cơ hội khác dể giúp họ hướng đến sư hoàn hảo trong Thiên Chúa, đặc biệt là những người không xứng đáng nhất.
My Homily for 5th Sunday of Lent:
I remember thirty some year ago, it was in summer 75, After the communist took control over the south VN, I saw some priests was dragged out of their rectory by local polices force. They claimed that those priests have upraised against the new Government, the communist party. And one night the after Christmas, the local police knocked our door and search our house without a warrant and they took my dad away with his bible with some notes he wrote for his reflection liked a criminal and put him in jailed for months without any tries. I knew for sure those priests and my dad not done anything wrong or did anything against them, but some local authority did not like Catholic church their so they wanted to shutdown the church by takeaway the priests and whoever involves in the parish like my dad.
Through today's Gospel, we can imagine the woman was being dragged through the city and bring her to Jesus. She had to have been terrified. Certainly, these men were going to kill her. The woman was caught in adultery. Women have been killed for far less. Even in our modern times, women are treated throughout the world as chattel, their lives completely dependent on the will of their fathers, brothers or husbands. Horrible things continue to happen to women in the name of religion.
Another travesty was about to take place, when the woman was brought before Jesus. She certainly expected to die. Like those priests I saws and my dad, she must have been panic struck as they threw her before Jesus. She also must have been ashamed. People were laughing at her. They treated her like dirt. Perhaps she herself thought she was dirt. If they didn’t kill her, what type of life would she have left? Who would marry her? Who would give her a place to stay? Who would have mercy on her? She might as well die.
The better-than-those of her society, shouted that she had to die. The Law of Moses demanded it. What would this Jesus say about that? They were certain that they had him. His hands were tied. This, the Kindest Man to ever live, would have to oppose the Law or agree that she should die.
And through the clamor, she looked up, and saw the Lord looking at her. Compassion for her flowed through him. Nobody cared about her before. The man or men who used her sexually, didn’t care that she was going to die. The leaders of her people didn’t care about her. Her own family probably disowned her. But Jesus cared. She left, not just with her life, but with a new dignity. She had been forgiven. She now could embrace a new life.
Dear brothers and sister in Christ, the Pharisees wanted to destroy the sinful woman. But Jesus wanted to give her another chance. And this was Jesus' mission. He came to earth to overcome sin and death with mercy and resurrection. Jesus came to lead each one of us out of exile and into eternal life, just as God had led Israel out of Babylon and back to Jerusalem. We are Christians. We are Christ's disciples. If his mission was to give people another chance, then our mission has to be the same. When Jesus commanded us to "love one another as I have loved you", isn't this what he meant? We are called to be ambassadors of God's mercy. We are called to be instruments of the Resurrection.
To do so, we will have to suffer, like the priests in VN and my dad as Christ suffered before he rose from the dead. We will have to die to ourselves, to deny our natural tendencies to anger, resentment, revenge, and criticism. And so, each of us needs to ask ourselves: Is there someone in my life who needs another chance? Is there someone in my life who I have given up on, but who God hasn't given up on? Is there someone in my life whom I have condemned, as the Pharisees condemned this adulterous woman? Is there someone I have destroyed by gossip or criticism? Is there someone who in my heart I want to destroy?
Some of us will be able to think of someone right away. Others will need to ask God for light. But all of us need to change. Today, we need to adopt or re-adopt God's policy. When Jesus comes to us in Holy Communion, let's thank him for not condemning us, and let's promise him that, with his grace, we too will do our best to give everyone we encounter another chance, especially those who deserve it least.
The Fifth Sunday of Lent (Year C)
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. John 8:1–3
What a painful and humiliating experience this must have been for this woman! Fortunately, the Savior of the World was there to care for her and to help her navigate this situation through His abundant mercy. Though she was a sinner, God’s mercy offered a remedy for her sin and its consequences.
Interestingly, this story is not included in some of the most ancient manuscripts of the Gospel of John. Saint Augustine believed that it was excluded by some of the early copyists of this Gospel because they were moral rigorists and were scandalized by the depths of Jesus’ mercy. They feared that if this incredible act of mercy was conveyed to others, it would lead to a relaxation of moral rules.
The scribes and Pharisees who brought this woman to Jesus also appeared to be scandalized by Jesus’ mercy. Thus, the depths of mercy offered to this woman was one of many occasions in which Jesus was merciful to a point that was hard for the people to comprehend.
How about you? How far are you willing to go when it comes to mercy? It is easy for us to resort to condemnation when we see the sins of others. We might feel justified in condemning them and even obliged to do so out of a desire to condemn sin itself. But Jesus’ action shows that the sin must not be equated with the sinner. Sin must be condemned and was condemned by our Lord when He said to this woman, “Go, and from now on do not sin any more.” Though He condemned her sin, he did not condemn her: “Neither do I condemn you.”
The mercy of God is incomprehensible. For example, recall that Jesus cried out from the Cross, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” Imagine the surprise that the first hearers of those words would have had. How could this man ask that God forgive the people who were murdering Him? Perhaps the only person who truly understood this prayer of mercy from the Cross was Jesus’ own mother as she stood there gazing at Him with love.
An important lesson for us to learn from Jesus’ depth of mercy is that, at first, it will most likely scandalize us also. Mercy to this extent is supernatural. It challenges our natural reason and calls us to a new way of thinking and relating to others. The only way to overcome the “scandal” we might feel in the face of God’s mercy is to live it ourselves. Doing so will require that we put on new eyes to see sin, mercy and forgiveness through the eyes of God. If doing so shakes you to the core of your being, that might be a good sign. Are you allowing the apparent scandal of God’s abundant mercy to transform you so that it is no longer a shock or scandal to you, but is experienced as good and holy and from the Heart of our God?
Reflect, today, upon how deeply you understand God’s mercy. Do you rejoice when mercy is offered to another? Or do you find yourself condemning? Our Lord said, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” None of us are without sin; therefore, none of us has the right to cast a stone at another. Allow the apparent scandal of God’s mercy to challenge you so that you come to not only understand God’s infinite mercy but also to act as an instrument of that mercy to everyone.
Most merciful Lord, You came to call the sinner to repentance and salvation. You offer mercy and forgiveness in superabundance. When faced with the sins of others, help me to imitate Your love for them and to show mercy and compassion to the greatest degree. I love You, Lord. Help me to love You and others with Your Heart of merciful love. Jesus, I trust in You.
The Fifth Sunday of Lent (Year C)
Reelection for 5th Sunday of Lent
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. John 8:1–3
What a painful and humiliating experience this must have been for this woman! Fortunately, the Savior of the World was there to care for her and to help her navigate this situation through His abundant mercy. Though she was a sinner, God’s mercy offered a remedy for her sin and its consequences.
Interestingly, this story is not included in some of the most ancient manuscripts of the Gospel of John. Saint Augustine believed that it was excluded by some of the early copyists of this Gospel because they were moral rigorists and were scandalized by the depths of Jesus’ mercy. They feared that if this incredible act of mercy was conveyed to others, it would lead to a relaxation of moral rules.
The scribes and Pharisees who brought this woman to Jesus also appeared to be scandalized by Jesus’ mercy. Thus, the depths of mercy offered to this woman was one of many occasions in which Jesus was merciful to a point that was hard for the people to comprehend.
How about you? How far are you willing to go when it comes to mercy? It is easy for us to resort to condemnation when we see the sins of others. We might feel justified in condemning them and even obliged to do so out of a desire to condemn sin itself. But Jesus’ action shows that the sin must not be equated with the sinner. Sin must be condemned and was condemned by our Lord when He said to this woman, “Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.” Though He condemned her sin, he did not condemn her: “Neither do I condemn you.” The mercy of God is incomprehensible. For example, recall that Jesus cried out from the Cross, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” Imagine the surprise that the first hearers of those words would have had. How could this man ask that God forgive the people who were murdering Him? Perhaps the only person who truly understood this prayer of mercy from the Cross was Jesus’ own mother as she stood there gazing at Him with love.
Reflect, today, upon how deeply you understand God’s mercy. Do you rejoice when mercy is offered to another? Or do you find yourself condemning? Our Lord said, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” None of us are without sin; therefore, none of us has the right to cast a stone at another. Allow the apparent scandal of God’s mercy to challenge you so that you come to not only understand God’s infinite mercy but also to act as an instrument of that mercy to everyone.
Most merciful Lord, You came to call the sinner to repentance and salvation. You offer mercy and forgiveness in superabundance. When faced with the sins of others, help me to imitate Your love for them and to show mercy and compassion to the greatest degree. I love You, Lord. Help me to love You and others with Your Heart of merciful love. Jesus, I trust in You.
5th Sunday of Lent 2025
Opening Prayer: Lord God, I thank you for being patient with me as I battle to overcome sin and temptation. I know that I will be judged for my actions and decisions. Help me to put your Son’s words into practice and sin no more. Help me to know where, when, and how I am tempted, where I am weak, and where I need your merciful grace to conquer evil.
1. Sin No More: The Gospel teaches us how we are to refrain from judgment and condemnation and to be merciful as God is merciful. Jesus brought the Old Law to its fulfillment in the New Law. On the one hand, the New Law of Jesus prohibits not only adultery but also lust. On the other, the New Law offers a path of repentance, forgiveness, and reconciliation for even the most serious sins and offenses. Jesus offers the woman caught in adultery hope and a challenge to sin no more. Jesus humbled the scribes and Pharisees, who had no concern for the woman and only wanted to use her as a way to ensnare Jesus. If Jesus prohibited them from stoning the woman, they would accuse Jesus of breaking the Law of Moses. If Jesus allowed them to carry out the stoning, they probably would have accused Jesus of murder before the civil authorities. Jesus doesn’t fall into either trap. He doesn’t condone or turn a blind eye to sin, nor does he advocate for capital punishment for serious sins. He invites each person to look at their own struggles with sin and to be merciful just as God has been merciful to them.
Tôi nhớ cách đây gần năm mươi (50) năm, Sau mùa hè năm 75, Sau khi cộng sản nắm quyền kiểm soát miền nam Việt Nam, tôi chứng kiến một số linh mục bị lực lượng chính quyền địa phương lôi ra khỏi nhà xứ. Họ tuyên bố rằng những linh mục đó đã nổi dậy chống lại Chính phủ mới, và đảng cộng sản ... Và một đêm sau lễ Giáng sinh, cảnh sát địa phương đã đập cửa và khám xét nhà của chúng tôi mà không cần lệnh và họ đã bắt bố tôi đi cùng với cuốn kinh thánh của ông ấy với một số ghi chú bố tôi ghi chép trong ấy. Ho cho rằng bố tôi đã viết sự phản ánh của bố tôi trên ấy để chống lại nhà nước và họ coi bố tôi như là một tên tội phạm và bỏ tù bố tôi trong nhiều tháng mà không có sự xét xử nào.
Những người tự cho mình là kẻ tốt hơn cô trong xã hội của cô đang gào thét lên rằng cô phải chết. Theo như Luật Môsen thì cô phải bị xử như thế. Điều này Chúa Giêsu sẽ phải nói gì và phải làm gì? Nếu Chúa cứu cô khỏi chết thì Chúa sẽ đi ngược lại với luật của Môisen, Nếu để họ giết cô thì coi như Chúa đi ngược lại đức bác ái, thương người mà Ngài đã dạy. Nhóm người do thái này đắ thắng, họ chắc chắn rằng họ sé làm cho Chúa phải sập vào trong cái bẫy của họ. Ho coi như đã trói chặt hai tay của Chúa. Điều này, Chúa Giêsu đấng nhân lành nhất trên thế gian này một là phải chống lại Luật Môisen hai là phải đồng ý với họ là cô này phải chết.
Chắc chúng cũng đã biết, trong những tiếng ồn ào, xì xầm, cô gái nhìn lên và thấy Chúa đang nhìn cô và cô đã cảm nhận được lòng thương xót của Chúa đã dành cho cô. Trong cuộc đời của cô, không ai đã quan tâm đến cô ấy. Những người đàn ông đến với cô rất nhiều, nhưng những người đàn ông này như những con thú chỉ đến với cô qua đường như là một món trò chơi không hơn không kém, họ không quan đến cô, việc sống chết của cô họ chẳng quan tâm. Các nhà lãnh đạo tôn giáo của cô cũng không quan tâm đến cô. Gia đình của cô có lẽ đã từ bỏ cô ấy rồi. Nhưng chỉ co một mình Chúa Giêsu là người đã quan tâm cô. Khi cô ta đươc Chúa xót thương, không những cô chỉ được cứu sống thân xác mà thôi, mà cô đã có được cái một phẩm giá mới. Cô đã được tha thứ và bây giờ cô ta có thể đón nhận được một cuộc sống mới.
Anh chị em thân mến trong Chúa Kitô, những người Pha-ri-si muốn giết người phụ nữ tội lỗi. Nhưng Chúa Giê-su muốn cho cô một cơ hội khác. Và đây là sứ mệnh của Chúa Giêsu. Ngài đến thế gian để chiến thắng tội lỗi và sự chết với lòng thương xót và sự phục sinh. Chúa Giêsu đến để dẫn dắt và đưa mỗi người chúng ta đến với sự cứu rỗi và giải thoát chúng ta khỏi cảnh lưu đày trong tội lỗi và đem chúng ta đến với sự sống vĩnh cửu, giống như Thiên Chúa đã dẫn đưa dân Israel ra khỏi chốn lưa đày ở Ba-by-lôn và đưa họ trở về Giê-ru-sa-lem. Chúng ta là những người theo Kito giáo chúng ta theo Chúa. Chúng ta là môn đệ của Chúa Giêsu Đấng Cứu Thế. Nếu nhiệm vụ của Chúa là cho mọi người một cơ hội khác, thì nhiệm vụ của chúng ta cũng phải như vậy. Khi Chúa Giêsu truyền lệnh cho chúng ta “các con hãy yêu nhau như ta đã yêu thương các con”, đó không phải là ý của Ngài sao? Chúng ta được mời gọi để trở thành người đại sứ của lòng Chúa thương xót. Chúng ta được kêu gọi trở thành công cụ của sự Phục sinh.
Để làm được như vậy, chúng ta sẽ phải đau khổ, giống như các linh mục và bố tôi hơn 40 năm trước, cũng giống như Chúa Giêsu Kitô đã phải chịu đựng bao nhiêu là đau khổ trước khi từ cõi chết sống lại. Chúng ta sẽ phải chịu chết với chính mình, để chối bỏ, tránh xa những khuynh hướng tự nhiên của chúng ta là tức giận, oán hờn, trả thù và chỉ trích. Và vì vậy, mỗi người chúng ta cần phải tự hỏi chính bản thân là: Liệu có ai đó trong cuộc đời mình cần có thêm một cơ hội để sống? Có ai đó trong cuộc đời mà chúng ta đã ghét bỏ, giận hờn, bực tức? nhưng đối với Chúa thì không? Có ai trong cuộc đời mà chúng ta đã lên án, như những người Pha-ri-siêu đã lên án người đàn bà ngoại tình này không? Có ai đó trong đời mà chúng ta đã muốn tiêu diệt bởi vì những lời đàm tiếu, dèm pha hay chỉ trích của họ không? Có người nào trong lòng chúng ta đang muốn tiêu diệt không?
Có lẽ một số người nào đó mà trong lòng chúng ta có thể nghĩ ngay lập tức. Nhưng cũng có những người khác mà chúng ta cần phải cầu xin Chúa Thánh Thần giúp ban cho chúng chúng ta có được ánh sáng để nhận ra. Nhưng tất cả chúng ta cần phải thay đổi. Ngày nay, chúng ta cần áp dụng hay học lại cách thương yêu và biết thương xót của Chúa. Khi Chúa Giêsu đến với chúng ta trong Hình Bánh và Rượu, chúng ta hãy cảm tạ ơn Chúa vì Chúa đã không lên án chúng ta, và chúng ta hãy hứa với Chúa là với ân sủng của Chúa ban cho chúng ta. Chúng ta cũng nên phải cố gắng hết sức tỏ lòng độ lượng với mọi nguòi và sẵn sàng cho những ai đang đối nghịch, phạm lỗi với chúng ta một cơ hội khác dể giúp họ hướng đến sư hoàn hảo trong Thiên Chúa, đặc biệt là những người không xứng đáng nhất.
My Homily for 5th Sunday of Lent:
I remember thirty some year ago, it was in summer 75, After the communist took control over the south VN, I saw some priests was dragged out of their rectory by local polices force. They claimed that those priests have upraised against the new Government, the communist party. And one night the after Christmas, the local police knocked our door and search our house without a warrant and they took my dad away with his bible with some notes he wrote for his reflection liked a criminal and put him in jailed for months without any tries. I knew for sure those priests and my dad not done anything wrong or did anything against them, but some local authority did not like Catholic church their so they wanted to shutdown the church by takeaway the priests and whoever involves in the parish like my dad.
Through today's Gospel, we can imagine the woman was being dragged through the city and bring her to Jesus. She had to have been terrified. Certainly, these men were going to kill her. The woman was caught in adultery. Women have been killed for far less. Even in our modern times, women are treated throughout the world as chattel, their lives completely dependent on the will of their fathers, brothers or husbands. Horrible things continue to happen to women in the name of religion.
Another travesty was about to take place, when the woman was brought before Jesus. She certainly expected to die. Like those priests I saws and my dad, she must have been panic struck as they threw her before Jesus. She also must have been ashamed. People were laughing at her. They treated her like dirt. Perhaps she herself thought she was dirt. If they didn’t kill her, what type of life would she have left? Who would marry her? Who would give her a place to stay? Who would have mercy on her? She might as well die.
The better-than-those of her society, shouted that she had to die. The Law of Moses demanded it. What would this Jesus say about that? They were certain that they had him. His hands were tied. This, the Kindest Man to ever live, would have to oppose the Law or agree that she should die.
And through the clamor, she looked up, and saw the Lord looking at her. Compassion for her flowed through him. Nobody cared about her before. The man or men who used her sexually, didn’t care that she was going to die. The leaders of her people didn’t care about her. Her own family probably disowned her. But Jesus cared. She left, not just with her life, but with a new dignity. She had been forgiven. She now could embrace a new life.
Dear brothers and sister in Christ, the Pharisees wanted to destroy the sinful woman. But Jesus wanted to give her another chance. And this was Jesus' mission. He came to earth to overcome sin and death with mercy and resurrection. Jesus came to lead each one of us out of exile and into eternal life, just as God had led Israel out of Babylon and back to Jerusalem. We are Christians. We are Christ's disciples. If his mission was to give people another chance, then our mission has to be the same. When Jesus commanded us to "love one another as I have loved you", isn't this what he meant? We are called to be ambassadors of God's mercy. We are called to be instruments of the Resurrection.
To do so, we will have to suffer, like the priests in VN and my dad as Christ suffered before he rose from the dead. We will have to die to ourselves, to deny our natural tendencies to anger, resentment, revenge, and criticism. And so, each of us needs to ask ourselves: Is there someone in my life who needs another chance? Is there someone in my life who I have given up on, but who God hasn't given up on? Is there someone in my life whom I have condemned, as the Pharisees condemned this adulterous woman? Is there someone I have destroyed by gossip or criticism? Is there someone who in my heart I want to destroy?
Some of us will be able to think of someone right away. Others will need to ask God for light. But all of us need to change. Today, we need to adopt or re-adopt God's policy. When Jesus comes to us in Holy Communion, let's thank him for not condemning us, and let's promise him that, with his grace, we too will do our best to give everyone we encounter another chance, especially those who deserve it least.
The Fifth Sunday of Lent (Year C)
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. John 8:1–3
What a painful and humiliating experience this must have been for this woman! Fortunately, the Savior of the World was there to care for her and to help her navigate this situation through His abundant mercy. Though she was a sinner, God’s mercy offered a remedy for her sin and its consequences.
Interestingly, this story is not included in some of the most ancient manuscripts of the Gospel of John. Saint Augustine believed that it was excluded by some of the early copyists of this Gospel because they were moral rigorists and were scandalized by the depths of Jesus’ mercy. They feared that if this incredible act of mercy was conveyed to others, it would lead to a relaxation of moral rules.
The scribes and Pharisees who brought this woman to Jesus also appeared to be scandalized by Jesus’ mercy. Thus, the depths of mercy offered to this woman was one of many occasions in which Jesus was merciful to a point that was hard for the people to comprehend.
How about you? How far are you willing to go when it comes to mercy? It is easy for us to resort to condemnation when we see the sins of others. We might feel justified in condemning them and even obliged to do so out of a desire to condemn sin itself. But Jesus’ action shows that the sin must not be equated with the sinner. Sin must be condemned and was condemned by our Lord when He said to this woman, “Go, and from now on do not sin any more.” Though He condemned her sin, he did not condemn her: “Neither do I condemn you.”
The mercy of God is incomprehensible. For example, recall that Jesus cried out from the Cross, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” Imagine the surprise that the first hearers of those words would have had. How could this man ask that God forgive the people who were murdering Him? Perhaps the only person who truly understood this prayer of mercy from the Cross was Jesus’ own mother as she stood there gazing at Him with love.
An important lesson for us to learn from Jesus’ depth of mercy is that, at first, it will most likely scandalize us also. Mercy to this extent is supernatural. It challenges our natural reason and calls us to a new way of thinking and relating to others. The only way to overcome the “scandal” we might feel in the face of God’s mercy is to live it ourselves. Doing so will require that we put on new eyes to see sin, mercy and forgiveness through the eyes of God. If doing so shakes you to the core of your being, that might be a good sign. Are you allowing the apparent scandal of God’s abundant mercy to transform you so that it is no longer a shock or scandal to you, but is experienced as good and holy and from the Heart of our God?
Reflect, today, upon how deeply you understand God’s mercy. Do you rejoice when mercy is offered to another? Or do you find yourself condemning? Our Lord said, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” None of us are without sin; therefore, none of us has the right to cast a stone at another. Allow the apparent scandal of God’s mercy to challenge you so that you come to not only understand God’s infinite mercy but also to act as an instrument of that mercy to everyone.
Most merciful Lord, You came to call the sinner to repentance and salvation. You offer mercy and forgiveness in superabundance. When faced with the sins of others, help me to imitate Your love for them and to show mercy and compassion to the greatest degree. I love You, Lord. Help me to love You and others with Your Heart of merciful love. Jesus, I trust in You.
The Fifth Sunday of Lent (Year C)
Reelection for 5th Sunday of Lent
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. John 8:1–3
What a painful and humiliating experience this must have been for this woman! Fortunately, the Savior of the World was there to care for her and to help her navigate this situation through His abundant mercy. Though she was a sinner, God’s mercy offered a remedy for her sin and its consequences.
Interestingly, this story is not included in some of the most ancient manuscripts of the Gospel of John. Saint Augustine believed that it was excluded by some of the early copyists of this Gospel because they were moral rigorists and were scandalized by the depths of Jesus’ mercy. They feared that if this incredible act of mercy was conveyed to others, it would lead to a relaxation of moral rules.
The scribes and Pharisees who brought this woman to Jesus also appeared to be scandalized by Jesus’ mercy. Thus, the depths of mercy offered to this woman was one of many occasions in which Jesus was merciful to a point that was hard for the people to comprehend.
How about you? How far are you willing to go when it comes to mercy? It is easy for us to resort to condemnation when we see the sins of others. We might feel justified in condemning them and even obliged to do so out of a desire to condemn sin itself. But Jesus’ action shows that the sin must not be equated with the sinner. Sin must be condemned and was condemned by our Lord when He said to this woman, “Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.” Though He condemned her sin, he did not condemn her: “Neither do I condemn you.” The mercy of God is incomprehensible. For example, recall that Jesus cried out from the Cross, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” Imagine the surprise that the first hearers of those words would have had. How could this man ask that God forgive the people who were murdering Him? Perhaps the only person who truly understood this prayer of mercy from the Cross was Jesus’ own mother as she stood there gazing at Him with love.
Reflect, today, upon how deeply you understand God’s mercy. Do you rejoice when mercy is offered to another? Or do you find yourself condemning? Our Lord said, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” None of us are without sin; therefore, none of us has the right to cast a stone at another. Allow the apparent scandal of God’s mercy to challenge you so that you come to not only understand God’s infinite mercy but also to act as an instrument of that mercy to everyone.
Most merciful Lord, You came to call the sinner to repentance and salvation. You offer mercy and forgiveness in superabundance. When faced with the sins of others, help me to imitate Your love for them and to show mercy and compassion to the greatest degree. I love You, Lord. Help me to love You and others with Your Heart of merciful love. Jesus, I trust in You.
5th Sunday of Lent 2025
Opening Prayer: Lord God, I thank you for being patient with me as I battle to overcome sin and temptation. I know that I will be judged for my actions and decisions. Help me to put your Son’s words into practice and sin no more. Help me to know where, when, and how I am tempted, where I am weak, and where I need your merciful grace to conquer evil.
1. Sin No More: The Gospel teaches us how we are to refrain from judgment and condemnation and to be merciful as God is merciful. Jesus brought the Old Law to its fulfillment in the New Law. On the one hand, the New Law of Jesus prohibits not only adultery but also lust. On the other, the New Law offers a path of repentance, forgiveness, and reconciliation for even the most serious sins and offenses. Jesus offers the woman caught in adultery hope and a challenge to sin no more. Jesus humbled the scribes and Pharisees, who had no concern for the woman and only wanted to use her as a way to ensnare Jesus. If Jesus prohibited them from stoning the woman, they would accuse Jesus of breaking the Law of Moses. If Jesus allowed them to carry out the stoning, they probably would have accused Jesus of murder before the civil authorities. Jesus doesn’t fall into either trap. He doesn’t condone or turn a blind eye to sin, nor does he advocate for capital punishment for serious sins. He invites each person to look at their own struggles with sin and to be merciful just as God has been merciful to them.
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