MARCH 17, 2013 : FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT

Fifth Sunday of Lent 
Lectionary: 36

Reading 1IS 43:16-21

Thus says the LORD,
who opens a way in the sea
and a path in the mighty waters,
who leads out chariots and horsemen,
a powerful army,
till they lie prostrate together, never to rise,
snuffed out and quenched like a wick.
Remember not the events of the past,
the things of long ago consider not;
see, I am doing something new!
Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
In the desert I make a way,
in the wasteland, rivers.
Wild beasts honor me,
jackals and ostriches,
for I put water in the desert
and rivers in the wasteland
for my chosen people to drink,
the people whom I formed for myself,
that they might announce my praise.

Responsorial PsalmPS 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6

R. (3) The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion,
we were like men dreaming.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Then they said among the nations,
“The LORD has done great things for them.”
The LORD has done great things for us;
we are glad indeed.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like the torrents in the southern desert.
Those that sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

Reading 2PHIL 3:8-14

Brothers and sisters:
I consider everything as a loss 
because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things 
and I consider them so much rubbish, 
that I may gain Christ and be found in him, 
not having any righteousness of my own based on the law 
but that which comes through faith in Christ, 
the righteousness from God, 
depending on faith to know him and the power of his resurrection 
and the sharing of his sufferings by being conformed to his death, 
if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

It is not that I have already taken hold of it 
or have already attained perfect maturity, 
but I continue my pursuit in hope that I may possess it, 
since I have indeed been taken possession of by Christ Jesus.
Brothers and sisters, I for my part 
do not consider myself to have taken possession.
Just one thing: forgetting what lies behind 
but straining forward to what lies ahead, 
I continue my pursuit toward the goal, 
the prize of God’s upward calling, in Christ Jesus.

GospelJN 8:1-11

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.
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.”

www.usccb.org

SCRIPTURE STUDY

March 17, 2013 Fifth Sunday of Lent

The liturgical season of Lent began on Ash Wednesday and runs until Holy Thursday night. Lent has a two fold character. It serves as a time for the immediate preparation of the catechumens and candidates who will be fully initiated into the church at the Easter Vigil when they celebrate the sacraments of initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Eucharist). It also serves as a time for the rest of us to prepare ourselves, by penance, alms-giving and prayer to celebrate the Paschal Mystery and the renewal of our own baptismal promises at Easter. This double character actually speaks of two ways to describe the same journey. All of us, whether new catechumen or long time believer, are constantly being called to more complete conversion. God always calls us to approach Him more closely. During this time, the church invites us to spend time with Jesus, John the Baptist and the ancient prophets of Israel in the wilderness, listening to this call from God and reflecting on the mystery of redemption through the cross and resurrection of Jesus and on what it means for each of us today.

This Sunday we celebrate the Fifth Sunday of Lent. The readings today speak of the great love that our Father shows in His constant waiting for us to repent. They call us to accept the freedom from condemnation that God has for each one of us but we too must refrain from condemning others.

NOTES on First Reading:

* 43:16-17 These verses contain a series of answers to the question: Who is Yahweh?

* 43:18-21 There is no need to think solely of the past wonders of the exodus from Egypt. God's works in the exodus from Babylon are equally great. The events yet to come will also be as great or even greater because God is always liberating and leading His people to the promised land of closer relationship Him.

NOTES on Second Reading:

* 3:8 Knowing as used here is far more than simple intellectual knowledge about Jesus. It includes the Old Testament sense of experience and personal involvement but goes even further than that. This "knowing" includes a transformation of the one who knows into the likeness of the One known. Paul continues the commercial image by telling us that knowledge of Jesus causes a fresh evaluation of one's values and ties. This new evaluation reduces all that is not of Jesus to equality with refuse (Greek word is "skybala" which means "rubbish" or "excrement"). Thus we can freely and even joyfully let go of those things that previously held us.

* 3:9 Paul's hope is to come to the judgment as one totally identified with Christ. The Law while "holy, just and good (Rom 7:12) was fatally flawed as a way of righteousness because it could not remedy sin. True "right-standing " with God was possible only by accepting the relationship to God offered freely in Christ through faith.

* 3:10 To know Christ means to experience Jesus as a "life-giving Spirit" (1 Cor 15:45) who here and now overcomes the powers of death and is preparing Christians for resurrection.

* 3:12 Paul holds that real perfection is not possible until the final moment when God calls us at the end of the eschatological race to ascend and join Christ in eternal life. What is important now is leaving behind all the impediments to identification with Christ and moving forward to be like Him.

NOTES on Gospel:

* 8:1-11 This is a "biographical apophthegm", in which Jesus' opponents set a trap for Him which He must escape by a wise saying or action (Mark 12:13-17 is another example). The trap is this. If the Romans had deprived the Jewish courts of the power to carry out the death penalty as stated in John 18:31 and the Mosaic law called for the woman to be put to death, then Jesus' opponents thought that Jesus would have to reject the Law of Moses or the authority of Rome. Either choice would get Him in trouble. The setting seems to presuppose that Jesus taught daily in the Temple.

* 8:1 The Mount of Olives is not mentioned elsewhere in the gospel tradition outside of passion week.

* 8:5 Stoning is only specifically prescribed for a betrothed virgin in Deut 22:23-24. Lev 20:10 and Deut 22:22 require death for both parties to the adultery without specifying the means.

* 8:6 See Jer 17:13 which reads in the NIV: " O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you will be put to shame. Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the LORD, the spring of living water." See also John 7:38.

* 8:7 Deut 17:7 says that the first stones were to be thrown by the witnesses.

* 8:11 Jesus does not deny that the woman sinned or that the law required her death. He simply contested the right of the others to condemn her in their self-righteousness and gave her the opportunity to repent. She is told to go and not sin any more

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Meditation: "Go, and do not sin again"

Are you ready to be changed and transformed in Christlike holiness? God never withholds his grace from us. His steadfast love and mercy is new every day (Lamentations 3:22-23). Through the gift and grace of the Holy Spirit we can be changed and made new in Christ. He can set us free from our unruly desires and passions. Jesus never lost an opportunity to bring freedom to those oppressed by sin and guilt. His frequent association with sinners, however, upset the sensibilities of the religious leaders. When a woman caught in adultery was brought to them for trial, they confronted Jesus on the issue of retribution. Jewish law treated adultery as a serious crime since it violated God’s ordinance and wreaked havoc on the stability of marriage and family life. It was one of the three gravest sins punishable by death.
This incident tells us a great deal about Jesus’ attitude to the sinner. The scribes and Pharisees wanted to entrap Jesus with the religious and civil authorities. That is why they brought a woman caught in adultery before Jesus. Jesus turned the challenge towards his accusers. In effect he said: Go ahead and stone her! But let the man who is without sin be the first to cast a stone. The Lord leaves the matter to their own consciences. When the adulterous woman is left alone with Jesus, he both expresses mercy and he strongly exhorts her to not sin again. The scribes wished to condemn, Jesus wished to forgive and to restore the sinner to health. His challenge involved a choice – either go back to your former way of sin and death or to reach out to the new way of life and happiness with him. Jesus gave her pardon and a new start on life. God’s grace enables us to confront our sin for what it is – unfaithfulness to God, and to turn back to God with a repentant heart and a thankful spirit for God’s mercy and forgiveness. Do you know the joy of repentance and a clean conscience?
“God our Father, we find it difficult to come to you, because our knowledge of you is imperfect. In our ignorance we have imagined you to be our enemy; we have wrongly thought that you take pleasure in punishing our sins; and we have foolishly conceived you to be a tyrant over human life. But since Jesus came among us, he has shown that you are loving, that you are on our side against all that stunts life, and that our resentment against you was groundless. So we come to you, asking you to forgive our past ignorance, and wanting to know more and more of you and your forgiving love, through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  (Prayer of Saint Augustine)

www.dailyscripture.net

On-the-Spot Redemption

Sunday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Father Robert Presutti, LC John 8: 1-11 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 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 a woman. 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 women 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.” Introductory Prayer: Lord God, I adore and thank you for this opportunity to be with you. I am ready to hear and embrace your word. I believe in you and in your goodness. I hope in your mercy. I love you and long to love you with a purer heart. Petition: Christ Jesus, help me to experience mercy and dispense it to others. 1. Stoning the Sinner: The law mandated her execution; the Pharisees were about to enforce it. This woman exemplifies in the most dramatic way what each of our lives experiences in less dramatic fashion. In the end, we are all sinners. We all suffer the vulnerability of sin. What’s worse, when we become conscious of sin, our own pharisaical tendency leads us at once to condemn ourselves without hope of redemption, all the while seeking to exculpate the guilt by finding fault in others. We wind up stoning ourselves and others, when we should just turn to Christ. Here is the moment of truth: either accept the only redemption possible – letting go of self, coming to Christ, and letting him show us the way – or retreat further into the stronghold of our egoism, hoping we will just wake up from a bad dream. Humility is the only path to redemption, humility before our own sin and before the sin of others. 2. Messages in the Sand: Christ helps us to find the answers by enlightening the depths of our soul. He confronts the superficial, immediate and self-righteous reaction of the Pharisees with a mandate to go deeper and draw out from their consciences the answer to the question they put hypocritically to Christ: “Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” Christ is silent. He allows their furious passions to quiet. He writes on the ground inviting them to reflect and then provides an answer only the Son of God could give: “Let him without sin cast the first stone.” Christ gently teaches us to let our own superficial, immediate and self-righteous reactions to our sins and those of others give way to an attitude of prayer, reflection and docility that lets us be taught by him. 3. Absolution and Change: The experience of absolute helplessness is a necessary prelude to the experience of Christ’s mercy. The deeper our experience of our nothingness is, the deeper our experience of Christ’s mercy. There is no experience sweeter, or joy more profound, than absolution given by Christ the Redeemer: “I do not condemn you.” Our deepest insecurities disappear when we realize we are really haunted by the ghosts our own pride and vanity create. We need to wake up to the reality of God’s mercy. Conversation with Christ: >Dear Lord, may the experience of my sin and nothingness move me to seek refuge in your mercy. You are the only one who stands by me in my hour of need. You have proven yourself as the only real friend. Resolution:I will practice mercy and goodness of heart in my thoughts about others today. I will overcome my own tendencies to despair by trusting in Christ.

www.regnumchristi.org

SUNDAY, MARCH 17

FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT (CYCLE C)
JOHN 8:1-11
(Isaiah 43:16-21; Psalm 126; Philippians 3:8-14)
KEY VERSE: "Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her" (v.7).
READING: Jesus considered iidolatry, murder and adultery as the three gravest sins, each one punishable by death. The scribes and the Pharisees tried to entrap Jesus by bringing a woman caught in adultery to him, even though the law stated that both the adulterer and the adulteress should be put to death (Lv 20:10). When they asked Jesus what should be done with her, he was caught in a dilemma. If he pardoned her it might appear as if he condoned her sin and had no regard for the law of Moses. To condemn her would put him in opposition to Roman law that did not allow Jews to administer capital punishment. Jesus bent over and wrote in the sand. The Greek word used was "katagraphein," which meant to write down something against a person. Perhaps Jesus wrote the sins of the religious leaders. The woman's accusers were unable to bring themselves to admit their own guilt. Beginning with the elders, they slowly drifted away. St. Augustine said, "There remained a great misery and a great pity for the sinner from the sinless one." Although Jesus passed no judgment on the woman, he sent her away to start a new life free from sin.
REFLECTING: Am I quick to judge the faults of others?
PRAYING: Lord Jesus, thank you for setting me free from my sins

www.daily-word-of-life.com

The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy 

Jesus goes aside to pray; then he displays wisdom in silence; then he offers future renewal.
From yesterday’s fierce debates, Jesus withdraws into renewing solitude with the Father, and invites us to experience it too. Then he emerges into more conflict and trickery, but is gifted with a wisdom that outsmarts his critics, on this occasion by silent compassion.

He directs the woman to focus on the future rather than the past. Perhaps he is recalling Ezekiel’s message: ‘I will never remember your sins’ (18:22; 33:16). He is foreshadowing the guidance of the Spirit for each of us: ‘All I can say is that I forget the past as I strain ahead for what is yet to come’ (Philippians 3:15). Jesus, draw me out of turmoil into the silence of your presence; steep me in Wisdom’s gift and keep me facing forwards into your sinlessness.

www.churchresources.info

March 17
St. Patrick
(415?-493?)

Legends about Patrick abound; but truth is best served by our seeing two solid qualities in him: He was humble and he was courageous. The determination to accept suffering and success with equal indifference guided the life of God’s instrument for winning most of Ireland for Christ.

Details of his life are uncertain. Current research places his dates of birth and death a little later than earlier accounts. Patrick may have been born in Dunbarton, Scotland, Cumberland, England, or in northern Wales. He called himself both a Roman and a Briton. At 16, he and a large number of his father’s slaves and vassals were captured by Irish raiders and sold as slaves in Ireland. Forced to work as a shepherd, he suffered greatly from hunger and cold.
After six years, Patrick escaped, probably to France, and later returned to Britain at the age of 22. His captivity had meant spiritual conversion. He may have studied at Lerins, off the French coast; he spent years at Auxerre, France, and was consecrated bishop at the age of 43. His great desire was to proclaim the Good News to the Irish.
In a dream vision it seemed “all the children of Ireland from their mothers’ wombs were stretching out their hands” to him. He understood the vision to be a call to do mission work in pagan Ireland. Despite opposition from those who felt his education had been defective, he was sent to carry out the task. He went to the west and north, where the faith had never been preached, obtained the protection of local kings and made numerous converts.
Because of the island’s pagan background, Patrick was emphatic in encouraging widows to remain chaste and young women to consecrate their virginity to Christ. He ordained many priests, divided the country into dioceses, held Church councils, founded several monasteries and continually urged his people to greater holiness in Christ.
He suffered much opposition from pagan druids and was criticized in both England and Ireland for the way he conducted his mission.
In a relatively short time, the island had experienced deeply the Christian spirit, and was prepared to send out missionaries whose efforts were greatly responsible for Christianizing Europe.
Patrick was a man of action, with little inclination toward learning. He had a rocklike belief in his vocation, in the cause he had espoused.
One of the few certainly authentic writings is his Confessio, above all an act of homage to God for having called Patrick, unworthy sinner, to the apostolate.
There is hope rather than irony in the fact that his burial place is said to be in County Down in Northern Ireland, long the scene of strife and violence.

Comment:

What distinguishes Patrick is the durability of his efforts. When one considers the state of Ireland when he began his mission work, the vast extent of his labors (all of Ireland) and how the seeds he planted continued to grow and flourish, one can only admire the kind of man Patrick must have been. The holiness of a person is known only by the fruits of his or her work.

Quote:

“Christ shield me this day: Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I arise, Christ in the heart of every person who thinks of me, Christ in the eye that sees me, Christ in the ear that hears me” (from “The Breastplate of St. Patrick”).

Patron Saint of:

Engineers
Ireland
Nigeria

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LECTIO: 5TH SUNDAY OF LENT (C)

Lectio: 

 Sunday, March 17, 2013  

Jesus meets a woman about to be stoned
“Let the one among you who is guiltless 
be the first to throw a stone at her!” 
John 8:1-11

1. Opening prayer

Lord Jesus, send your Spirit to help us to read the Scriptures with the same mind that you read them to the disciples on the way to Emmaus. In the light of the Word, written in the Bible, you helped them to discover the presence of God in the disturbing events of your sentence and death. Thus, the cross that seemed to be the end of all hope became for them the source of life and of resurrection. 
Create in us silence so that we may listen to your voice in Creation and in the Scriptures, in events and in people, above all in the poor and suffering. May your word guide us so that we too, like the two disciples from Emmaus, may experience the force of your resurrection and witness to others that you are alive in our midst as source of fraternity, justice and peace. We ask this of you, Jesus, son of Mary, who revealed to us the Father and sent us your Spirit. Amen.

2. Reading

a) A key to the reading:

Today’s text leads us to a meditation on the conflict between Jesus and the Scribes and Pharisees. Because of his preaching and his manner of acting, the doctors of the law and the Pharisees do not like Jesus. So they seek every possible way to accuse and eliminate him. They bring before him a woman caught in adultery to ask him whether they should observe the law that said that such a woman was to be stoned. They wanted to provoke Jesus. By posing as people concerned for the law, they were using the woman to argue with Jesus. The same story happens time and time again. Under the pretence of concern for the law of God, the three monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam, have condemned and massacred many people. This goes on today too. Under the guise of concern for the law of God, many people are deprived of communion and even excluded from the community. Laws and customs are created to exclude and marginalize certain categories of people. 
As we read John 8:1-11, it is good to consider the text as it were a mirror reflecting our own likeness. As we read, let us try to note well the attitudes, words and action of those who appear in the story: the Scribes, the Pharisees, the woman. Jesus and the people.

b) A division of the text as a help to the reader:

Jn 8:1-2: Jesus goes to the temple to teach the crowd
Jn 8:3-6a: His adversaries provoke him
Jn 8:6b: Jesus’ reaction, he writes on the ground
Jn 8:7-8: Second provocation, and same reaction from Jesus
Jn 8:9-11: Final epilogue

c) Text:

1 and Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 At daybreak he appeared in the Temple again; and as all the people came to him, he sat down and began to teach them. 3 The scribes and Pharisees brought a woman along who had been caught committing adultery; and making her stand there in the middle 4 they said to Jesus, 'Master, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery, 5 and in the Law Moses has ordered us to stone women of this kind. What have you got to say?' 6 They asked him this as a test, looking for an accusation to use against him. But Jesus bent down and started writing on the ground with his finger. 7 As they persisted with their question, he straightened up and said, 'Let the one among you who is guiltless be the first to throw a stone at her.' 8 Then he bent down and continued writing on the ground. 9 When they heard this they went away one by one, beginning with the eldest, until the last one had gone and Jesus was left alone with the woman, who remained in the middle. 10 Jesus again straightened up and said, 'Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?' 11 'No one, sir,' she replied. 'Neither do I condemn you,' said Jesus. 'Go away, and from this moment sin no more.'

3. A moment of prayerful silence

so that the Word of God may penetrate and enlighten our life.

4. Some questions

to help us in our personal reflection.

a) What struck or pleased you most in this text? Why? 
b) Several persons and groups appear in this episode. What do they say and do?
c) Try to step into the woman’s shoes: how did she feel? 
d) Why did Jesus begin to write with this finger on the ground?
e) What can and must our community do to welcome those excluded?

5. For those who wish to go deeper into the theme

a) Literary context:

Scholars say that John’s Gospel grew gradually, that is, that it was written bit by bit. Over some time, up to the end of the first century, members of John’s community in Asia Minor, recalled and added details to events in Jesus’ life. One of these events, to which some details were added, is our text, the episode concerning the woman about to be stoned (Jn 8:1-11). A little before our text, Jesus had said: "If any man is thirsty, let him come to me! Let the man come and drink who believes in me!” (Jn 7:37). This statement provoked much discussion (Jn 7:40-53). The Pharisees even ridiculed the people, considering them ignorant for believing in Jesus. Nicodemus reacted saying: “Surely the law does not allow us to pass judgement on a man without giving him a hearing and discovering what he is about?” (Jn 7:51-52). After our text we come across another statement by Jesus: "I am the light of the world!" (Jn 8:12), which again provoked discussion among the Jews. The episode of the woman whom the law would have condemned, but who is pardoned by Jesus (Jn 8:1-11), is inserted between these two statements and their subsequent discussions. These statements before and after, suggest that the episode was inserted here to shed light on the fact that Jesus, light of the world, enlightens the life of people and applies the law better than the Pharisees.

b) A commentary on the text:

John 8:1-2: Jesus and the crowd
After the discussion reported at the end of chapter 7 (Jn 7:37-52), all go home (Jn 7:53). Jesus has no home in Jerusalem, so he goes to the Mount of Olives. There he finds a garden where he can spend the night in prayer (Jn 18:1). The next day, before sunrise, Jesus is once more in the temple. The crowd draws near to listen. Usually, the crowd sat in a circle around Jesus when he taught. What would Jesus have been teaching? Whatever it was, it must have been great because the crowd went there before dawn to listen to him!

John 8:3-6a: His enemies’ provocation
Suddenly, the Scribes and Pharisees arrive and bring with them a woman caught in flagrant adultery. They place her in the middle of the circle between Jesus and the crowd. According to the law, this woman had to be stoned (Lv 20:10; Dt 22:22.24). They ask: "Master, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery, and in the Law Moses has ordered us to stone women of this kind. What have you got to say?” This was a provocation, a trap. If Jesus said: "Apply the law", the Scribes would have said to the crowd: he is not as good as he appears to be because he orders the woman to be killed. If Jesus said: "Do not kill her”, they would have said: "He is not as good as he appears to be since he does not observe the law!" Under the appearance of fidelity to God, they manipulate the law and use a woman to accuse Jesus.

John 8:6b: Jesus’ reaction: he writes on the ground
This situation looked like a sure trap. But Jesus is neither frightened nor nervous. Rather the opposite. Quietly, like one in control of the situation, he bends down and begins to write on the ground with his finger. What does writing on the ground mean? Some think that Jesus is writing the sins of his accusers. Others say that it was just the sign of one who is in control of the situation and pays no attention to the accusations made by others. But it is possible that this may have been a symbolic action, an allusion to something much more common. If you write a word on the ground, the next morning it will be gone, swept away by wind or rain, gone! We find a similar allusion in Jeremiah where we read that the names of the attributes of God are written on the ground, that is, that they have no future. The wind and the rain carry them away (cf Jr 17:13). Perhaps Jesus is saying to those around him: the sin of which you accuse this woman, has been forgiven by God as I write these letters on the ground. From now on these sins will not be remembered!

John 8:7-8: Second provocation and the same reaction from Jesus
Faced with this quiet attitude of Jesus, it is the adversaries who become nervous. They insist and want to know Jesus’ opinion. Jesus, then, stands up and says: "Let the one among you who is guiltless be the first to throw a stone at her!" And bending down he again starts to write on the ground. He does not engage in a sterile and useless discussion concerning the law, because, in reality, the problem lies elsewhere. Jesus shifts the centre of the discussion. Instead of allowing the light of the law to be focussed on the woman so as to condemn her, he asks that his adversaries examine themselves in the light of what the law demands of them. Jesus does not discuss the letter of the law. He discusses and condemns the evil attitude of those who manipulate people and the law to defend their own interests that are contrary to God, the author of the law.

John 8:9-11: Final epilogue: Jesus and the woman
Jesus’ reply upsets the adversaries. The Pharisees and the Scribes retreat shamefaced one by one “beginning with the eldest”. The opposite of what they had planned happened. The one condemned by the law was not the woman but those who believed themselves to be faithful to the law. Finally, Jesus is left alone with the woman. Jesus stands up, goes to her and says: "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you!" She answers: "No one, sir!" Then Jesus says: "Neither do I condemn you. Go away, and from this moment sin no more!" Jesus will not allow any one to use the law of God to condemn a brother or sister, when that person is also a sinner. Any one who has a plank in his eye cannot accuse the one who only has a splinter in his. “Hypocrite! Take the plank out of your own eye first, and then you will see clearly to take out he splinter that is in your brother’s eye” (Lk 6:42).
This episode, better than any other teaching, shows that Jesus is the light of the world (Jn 11:12) who reveals the truth. It brings to light the hidden and most intimate things within a person. In the light of Jesus’ words, those who seemed to be defenders of the law are revealed to be full of sin. They recognise this and go away beginning with the eldest. And the woman, thought to be guilty and meriting the death sentence, stands before Jesus, absolved, redeemed, dignified (cf. Jn 3:19-21). Jesus’ action gives her new life and restores her dignity as woman and daughter of God.

c) Further information:

Laws concerning women in the Old Testament and people’s reactions

From the time of Ezdra and Nehemiah, the official tendency was to exclude women from any public activity and to consider them unsuitable to carry out any function in society, except that of spouse and mother. What contributed greatly to the marginalization of the woman was precisely the law on purity. A woman was declared impure for being mother, spouse and daughter, for being a woman. For being mother: in giving birth she became unclean (Lv 12:1-5). For being daughter: a son born made her unclean for forty days (Lv 12:2-4); and worse, a daughter born made her unclean for 80 days! (Lv 12:5). For being spouse: sexual relationship made both the woman and the man unclean for a whole day (Lv 15:18). For being woman: menstruation made a woman unclean for a whole week and rendered others unclean. Any one who touched a woman during menstruation had to go through a ritual of purification (Lv 15:19-30). It was not possible for a woman to hide her uncleanness, because the law obliged other people to denounce her (Lv 5:3). This legislation made daily life at home unbearable. For seven days every month, the mother of a family could not rest in bed or sit on a chair, much less touch her children or husband so as not to contaminate them! This legislation was the result of a mentality, according to which a woman was inferior to a man. There are some sayings that reveal this discrimination against women (Eccl 42:9-11; 22:3). Marginalization became such that women were considered to be the origin of sin and of death and the cause of all evils (Eccl 25:24; 42:13-14). Thus the privilege and dominion of man over woman kept on being preserved.

In the context of the times, the situation of women in the world of the Bible was neither better nor worse than that of other people. It was a general culture. Even today, there are many who continue in this same way of thinking. But like today, so also previously, from the beginning of the Bible history, there have always been those who opposed this exclusion of women, especially after the exile, when foreign women, considered dangerous, were expelled (cfr. Ez 9:1-3 and 10:1-3). Women’s resistance grew at times when their marginalization was worst. In several wisdom books we discover the voice of such resistance: the Canticle of Canticles, Ruth, Judith, Esther. In these books, women appear not so much as mothers or spouses, but as persons who could use their beauty and femininity to fight for the rights of the poor and thus defend the Covenant of the people. These were fights not so much for the temple, nor for abstract law, but for the life of the people.

The resistance of women against their exclusion finds an echo and a response in Jesus. Here are some episodes of Jesus’ response towards women: 
* The prostitute: Jesus welcomes and defends her against the Pharisee (Lk 7:36-50). 
* Jesus defends the woman bent double against the chief of the synagogue (Lk 13:10-17). 
* The woman considered impure is welcomed without criticism and is healed (Mk 5:25-34). 
* The Samaritan woman, considered a heretic, is the first to receive Jesus’ secret that he is the Messiah (Jn 4:26). 
* The pagan woman is helped by Jesus and she helps him to discover his mission (Mk 7:24-30). 
* The mothers with children, rejected by the disciples, are welcomed by Jesus (Mt 19:13-15). 
* Women are the first persons to experience the risen Jesus (Mt 28:9-10; Jn 20:16-18).

6. Praying Psalm 36 (35)

God’s goodness will unmask hypocrisy

Sin is the oracle of the wicked in the depths of his heart; 
there is no fear of God before his eyes.

He sees himself with too flattering 
an eye to detect and detest his guilt;
all he says is malicious and deceitful, 
he has turned his back on wisdom. 
To get his way
he hatches malicious plots even in his bed; 
once set on his evil course 
no wickedness is too much for him.

Yahweh, your faithful love is in the heavens, 
your constancy reaches to the clouds,
your saving justice is like towering mountains, 
your judgements like the mighty deep. 

Yahweh, you support both man and beast;
how precious, God, is your faithful love. 
So the children of Adam take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the bounty of your house, 
you let them drink from your delicious streams;
in you is the source of life, 
by your light we see the light.
Maintain your faithful love to those who acknowledge you, 
and your saving justice to the honest of heart.
Do not let the foot of the arrogant overtake me 
or wicked hands drive me away.
There they have fallen, the evil-doers, 
flung down, never to rise again.

7. Final Prayer

Lord Jesus, we thank for the word that has enabled us to understand better the will of the Father. May your Spirit enlighten our actions and grant us the strength to practice that which your Word has revealed to us. May we, like Mary, your mother, not only listen to but also practice the Word. You who live and reign with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

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