HOMILY FOR THE 5th SUNDAY OF LENT YEAR C

HOMILY FOR THE 5th SUNDAY OF LENT YEAR C

1. Isaiah 43:16-21

2.Phil3:8-14

Gospel:John8:1-11

                                 " Judging others"

It was during Sunday school catechetical formation in a certain parish, a little child was once asked, "What is adultery?" After giving it some thought, the child finally spoke up and said: ' I think adultery is the sin of the adults, three adults. That is why it is called adulthree!"

When it comes to an adulterous relationships, three persons are involved here especially if the other party is a married one. That is why this little child called this relationship as ' adult three.' It is wrong for a man and a woman to think that this illicit relationship is just between two of them. This is simply because sin is not just a personal but a social one. Every time we commit sin, others are also affected. There is no such thing as a private sin. When we commit sin God is hurt, other people are affected by the sin as well as the sinner.

In today's gospel, the Pharisees brought to Jesus an adulterous woman in order to trap Him. If he would say that the woman should be freed, they would say He is breaking the Mosaic Law that said such a woman should be stoned to death and encouraging people to commit sin. Actually they knew the law of Moses and should be applied to her that: " If a man is discovered having relations with a woman who is married to another, both the man and the woman whom he has had relations shall die," ( Deut 22:22; Lev20:10). Jewish law treated adultery as a serious crime since it violated God's ordinance and wreaked havoc on the stability of marital relationship and family life at large. It was one of the three gravest sins punishable by death.

On the other hand, if He says she should be stoned to death, if He says she should be stoned to death, all the people will say, ' Jesus is very cruel.' He would lose His reputation of being a friend of sinners and not compassionate. He would be branded a double-talking teacher who preached forgiveness but did not practice it. That is why Jesus says to them: " Let the one among you who is without  sin be the first to throw a stone at her." I think the people would stare at each other. They might have looked at themselves and the stones they hold in their hands. Again he bent down and wrote on the ground,( Jn8:7-8). The Bible does not tell us what He wrote but according to Bible commentaries that perhaps Jesus first wrote their individual names and writing after their names the sins of each one of them. Consequently, seeing what he wrote the elders as well as the Pharisees departed. The elders  were first to leave because they had more faults to be sorry about in their own lives. They realized that they too have also sinned and deserve to be on the spot where the woman is to be stoned.

When Jesus remained alone with the woman caught in adultery, He asked her, " Woman where are they? Has no one condemned you?" The Woman, answers: "No one, sir." Then Jesus says: " Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin anymore,"( John8:10-11). In effect, Christ is saying to her that she has been given a chance. She has to prove this that she can do better the next time. In other words, while not approving of the sin, he very definitely refuses to condemn the sinner.

PASTORAL APPLICATION OF THE READINGS

This adulterous woman represents each one of us. We are sinners, perhaps worse than she was. If we go back to that little child in our story when he was asked what adultery is, he answered that it is the sin of the adults. What are our sins as adults? there are so many. An example is judging others. This season of Lent urges us not to be judgmental of others. We are all sinners and in need of God's mercy. Only God has the right to judge people because He  alone is perfect. God does not propose to judge a person until he is dead, so why should we? This year we are in the year of Jubilee of God's mercy, let us be active by seeing the image of God to our dear brothers and sisters before we pronounce judgment on them.

In our daily living we find that we have somehow been wounded  by remorse of past sins we have committed like stealing, giving/accepting bribes, committing abortion, gossiping and making intrigues, infidelity to one's spouse and also something like ; debit-credit' then we feel we must do something more in order to make a "balance" of our spiritual account sheet. In short, make reparation.

As adults let us make our best to make sure that we have to avoid seven deadly sins that are more prominent in us, and these are 1) Pride or  the exaggerated love for self, which makes us think and act as if were better than others; 2) Covetousness/ greed or to desire what belong to others leading to dishonesty, stealing, and injustice; 3) Lust or the uncontrolled desire for sexual pleasures; 4) Anger or the destructive way of showing dislike or something, or someone; 5) Gluttony or a great desire for more foods and drinks ( one's capacity);  6) Envy or the discontentment  and resentment over or desire for disadvantage possessions or attainments; 7) Sloth or the excessive desire to avoid work and responsibility.

Next Sunday we will be celebrating Palm Sunday. Lent is not just about feeling religious, feeling good, and feeling righteous. Lent is about loving, doing corporal works of mercy and being good to our brothers and sisters, especially to the little ones. God's people are suffering, He is calling. What are we going to do?

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