5th Sunday Lent Year C - 17/3/2013 - Gospel: Jn 8:1-11
Early in the morning
Early in the morning begins a new day. It is pleasing to your ears when you hear birds' chirping outside your bedroom window- though some people don't like to be disturbed. You are at awe when your eyes catch the sunrays reflecting upon the morning dews. It is even more astonishing when a breeze moves the leaves that make the morning dew dance on the leaves shining like diamonds. Early morning brings with it the freshness of the day. It is the beginning of a new day, a day with hope and expectations that it will be a good day, trouble and problem free. Interfering a new day with bad news is not a good start for anyone because it makes us feel like the day is filled with misery and heavy burdens which we try to avoid at all cost.
We wish to begin a new day with a good start but we sometimes have no control of it and occasionally we have to deal with an unexpected event right as day breaks. A bad start is not on our agenda and yet we can't avoid it.
Jesus always begins his new day with morning prayers. It is either in the temple or in a quiet place, away from the crowds, offering a new day to God. We have no idea what Jesus talks to God about but I think he probably loves to talk to God and the grace to unite His day's work with God's. His morning prayers were interrupted when the Scribes and the Pharisees met Him at the temple to set a trap hoping to catch Him. They brought in front of Him a woman who was caught in the act of adultery and they demanded that Jesus give them an answer. If Jesus forgives the woman he is contradicting Moses' law which taught this kind of sin must be condemned to death by stoning. If he is true to Moses' law he is self contradicting because he taught forgiveness and mercy. The setting up of the scene clearly showed that the Scribes and the Pharisees were the dominating party. They combined together and with the legal support from Moses they were the voice of the majority. Jesus was by himself represented the voice of the minority and the victim woman who had no voice.
Jesus kept silent to give them more time to think about their own evil action. They invaded the privacy of a woman, humiliated her in public and robbed the dignity of a person. The longer Jesus kept silent the louder they demanded an answer from Him. Their stiffness broke His silent. He told them if you think you are righteous then you cast the first stone.
Those who throw the fist stone believed they were righteous but indeed they were not and also casting the stone contradicts the rule of God's love and the teaching of Jesus. The Scribes and the Pharisees came to challenge Jesus and now the case was being reversed they were being challenged. None of them took up the challenge and one by one left the scene except the woman who remained standing there with Jesus.
The parable seems to tell us that to gain peace we don't need violent. The man of peace is true to his words- solve the problem in a peaceful way.
Neither do I condemn you, go away and sin no more, said Jesus. v.11
We wish to begin a new day with a good start but we sometimes have no control of it and occasionally we have to deal with an unexpected event right as day breaks. A bad start is not on our agenda and yet we can't avoid it.
Jesus always begins his new day with morning prayers. It is either in the temple or in a quiet place, away from the crowds, offering a new day to God. We have no idea what Jesus talks to God about but I think he probably loves to talk to God and the grace to unite His day's work with God's. His morning prayers were interrupted when the Scribes and the Pharisees met Him at the temple to set a trap hoping to catch Him. They brought in front of Him a woman who was caught in the act of adultery and they demanded that Jesus give them an answer. If Jesus forgives the woman he is contradicting Moses' law which taught this kind of sin must be condemned to death by stoning. If he is true to Moses' law he is self contradicting because he taught forgiveness and mercy. The setting up of the scene clearly showed that the Scribes and the Pharisees were the dominating party. They combined together and with the legal support from Moses they were the voice of the majority. Jesus was by himself represented the voice of the minority and the victim woman who had no voice.
Jesus kept silent to give them more time to think about their own evil action. They invaded the privacy of a woman, humiliated her in public and robbed the dignity of a person. The longer Jesus kept silent the louder they demanded an answer from Him. Their stiffness broke His silent. He told them if you think you are righteous then you cast the first stone.
Those who throw the fist stone believed they were righteous but indeed they were not and also casting the stone contradicts the rule of God's love and the teaching of Jesus. The Scribes and the Pharisees came to challenge Jesus and now the case was being reversed they were being challenged. None of them took up the challenge and one by one left the scene except the woman who remained standing there with Jesus.
The parable seems to tell us that to gain peace we don't need violent. The man of peace is true to his words- solve the problem in a peaceful way.
Neither do I condemn you, go away and sin no more, said Jesus. v.11
Written by Fr Vũđình Tường
St Francis Xavier Catholic Parish
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane Australia
St Francis Xavier Catholic Parish
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane Australia