MARCH 13, 2016 :FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT year C

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.

Verse Before The GospelJL 2:12-13

Even now, says the Lord,
return to me with your whole heart;
for I am gracious and merciful.

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

  5^th Sunday of Lent – Cycle C

                  

Note: If there are some of The Elect at the Mass, the readings given for Cycle A may be used. The alternate Gospel reading is about the raising of Lazarus from the dead. Just as Jesus raised Lazarus, He will lift up The Elect at the Easter Vigil Mass.

Note: Where a Scripture text is underlined in the body of this discussion, it is recommended that the reader look up and read that passage.

1^st Reading - Isaiah 43:16-21

Last week we heard of the conclusion of the exodus from Egypt; the first Passover celebration in the land of Canaan. This week we look forward to a new exodus that God promises through the prophet Isaiah. This new exodus promises to be far more wonderful than the first. God promises to restore His people after they have suffered in exile.

¹⁶ Thus says the LORD,

Isaiah assures his hearers that he is delivering God’s words, not his own.

who opens a way in the sea and a path in the mighty waters, ¹⁷ Who leads out chariots and horsemen, a powerful army, 

A series of statements which answer the question “who is Yahweh?”. The statements portray the exodus out of Egypt.

Till they lie prostrate together, never to rise, snuffed out and quenched like a wick. 

The Egyptians have been overcome. A completed action.

¹⁸    Remember not the events of the past, the things of long ago consider not; 

Although we are to learn from history, we are not to dwell in the past.  

¹⁹    See, I am doing something new! 

God is doing a new redemptive act which we must see and recognize. This new redemptive act which is going on now, is a new exodus, an exodus from slavery to sin and a new birth in God. This new exodus comes to fulfillment in the Eucharist (Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:24-26) through which we receive eternal life.

Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? In the desert I make a way, in the wasteland, rivers. ²⁰ 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, ²¹ The people whom I formed for myself, that they might announce my praise.   

The Septuagint reads “the people whom I purchased” which is the phrase which is used in Acts 20:28 and 1 Peter 2:9.

2^nd Reading - Philippians 3:8-14

Our second reading today is from Paul’s warning to the Philippians about false teachers; Judaizers who would try to hang on to the old ways while at the same time claiming to be Christians. The Judaizers taught that in order to be a Christian, you first had to be a Jew: to be circumcised and to obey all 613 Old Covenant commandments. This question, whether or not Gentile converts to Christianity must first become full and legal Jews, prompted the Council of Jerusalem (ca. AD 50). A summary of the activities of the Council of Jerusalem comprises Acts 15.

⁸ [ ] I consider everything as a loss 

All the Jewish ritual practices. In the preceding verses Paul has scoffed at circumcision rather strongly.

because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. 

The knowledge of Christ accorded to the apostle in the revelation on the road to Damascus inaugurated a relationship between him and Christ that far surpassed all former advantages.

For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things and I consider them so much rubbish, 

Can also be translated “dung.” A strong expression for what Paul once regarded so highly.

that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him, 

The knowledge of Christ as an intellectual acquisition is not sufficient. Saint Paul describes his communion with Christ as a goal to be attained – a race still to be run (Philippians 2:6; 1 Corinthians 9:24; 2 Timothy 4:7). This communion with Christ is an identification ever to be deepened until it reaches its consummation at the parousia.

not having any righteousness of my own based on the law 

The goal of his life as a Pharisee was to be found blameless in the sight of God through observance of the 613 prescriptions of the Mosaic law.  

but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God, 

His uprightness is that which is freely bestowed by God and is dependent only on man’s willingness and humility to accept the fact that he must seek his salvation not in himself, but in God through faith.

“Righteousness comes from faith, which means that it too is a gift of God. For since this righteousness belongs to God, it is an unmerited gift. And the gifts of God greatly exceed any achievements of our own zeal.” [Saint John Chrysostom (between A.D. 398-404), Homilies on the Epistle to the Philippians 12,3,7-9]

depending on faith ¹⁰ to know him 

To “know Christ” means to experience Him as “life giving spirit” (1 Corinthians 15:45; 2 Corinthians 3:17).  

and the power of his resurrection 

As of the resurrection, the risen Christ possessed a “glory” bestowed by the Father, the vital principle of the new Christian life, the New Creation. We have this life giving spirit.  

and (the) sharing of his sufferings 

It is precisely in the weakness of suffering that one experiences most forcefully the power that is working in the resurrection (see 2 Corinthians 4:7-18).

“From faith comes our sharing in His sufferings. How? If we had not believed in Him, we would not be suffering with Him. If we had not believed that we will abide and reign with Him, we would not have endured these sufferings.” [Saint John Chrysostom (between A.D.

398-404), Homilies on the Epistle to the Philippians 12,3,10-11]

by being conformed to his death, 

The path to resurrection for the Christian follows that of Christ: the more perfect the “conformity,” the surer the arrival at the goal (see Romans 6:3-4; 8:17).

¹¹    if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.  

Note that this is a hope, not absolute assurance.

¹²    It is not that I have already taken hold of it or have already attained perfect maturity,

The goal of Paul’s striving; and of Christian striving in general, is not yet attained in this life. but I continue my pursuit in hope that I may possess it, 

Paul uses the image of a race to show that what matters is to leave past achievements behind and to focus attention on what lies ahead.  

since I have indeed been taken possession of by Christ (Jesus).  

Saint Paul is probably referring to his experience on the road to Damascus, and he has been pursuing the prize ever since.

¹³    Brothers, 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, ¹⁴ I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize

At the end of a race the judge summoned the winner by name to ascend and to receive the victor’s crown.

of God’s upward calling, in Christ Jesus.

God summons the Christian, when the race of our earthly life is complete, to ascend and join Christ in eternal life. This, and this alone, is the moment of purification; the moment of salvation.

Gospel - John 8:1-11

Today, as we prepare to enter the Easter season, we are reminded once again of God’s infinite mercy. This mercy is proclaimed through Jesus and is offered to the woman taken in adultery. Jesus confronts those men with the quiet words “let the man among you who has no sin be the first to cast a stone at her.” In one stroke Jesus proclaims the forgiving love of God and confronts the sinfulness of the accusers. 

All of us have sinned. All of us must turn to the Lord in grateful thanksgiving for His mercy rather than lashing out at others in self-righteous anger. The passage which constitutes our reading today is absent from many early manuscripts, not appearing until around the third century, but it was in the Vulgate when the Magisterium, at the Council of Trent (1545-1563) [and one must assume at the Council of Hippo (393) which defined the list of New Testament books and the Council of Carthage (397) which declared them inspired, although neither are ecumenical councils] defined the canon of sacred scripture. Therefore, the Church regards it as canonical and inspired. Saint Augustine said the reason doubts were raised about this passage was that it shows Jesus to be so merciful that some rigorists thought it would lead to a relaxation of moral rules – and therefore copyists suppressed it from their manuscripts.

^8:1 while Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 

This place was to the east of Jerusalem. The Kidron Valley divides it from the hill on which the temple was located. Although this reading is located in the gospel fairly early in Jesus’ life, the synoptic gospel accounts of Passion Week show that Jesus spent the days in Jerusalem teaching but left the city each night for safety. From ancient times it had been a place for prayer; David went there to adore God during the difficult period when Absalom was in revolt (2 Samuel 15:32), and there the prophet Ezekiel contemplated the glory of Yahweh entering the temple (Ezekiel 43:1-4).

² 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. ³ Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her stand in the middle. ⁴ They said to him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. ⁵Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. 

Deuteronomy 22:23 decrees stoning for a betrothed virgin who has committed adultery, but for an adulterous wife Leviticus 20:10 and Deuteronomy 22:22 prescribe death without specifying the manner of execution.

So what do you say?” 

John 18:31 tells us that the Romans had deprived the Jews of the right to carry out the death penalty in cases where their law required it.

⁶    They said this to test him, so that they could have some charge to bring against him. 

Similar to the tribute money trap of Mark 12:13-17, Jesus must, so His opponents think, reject either the law of Moses or the authority of Rome.

Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger. 

This is the only passage in scripture where Jesus is said to have written anything. Patristic authors suggest that Jesus was invoking Jeremiah 17:13 “Lord, on whom Israel’s hope is fixed, all who reject you will be inscribed in the dust, for they have rejected the source of living water, the Lord.” Or it could be no more than Jesus idly tracing figures on the ground to indicate disinterest in the proceedings.

⁷    But when they continued asking him, he straightened up and said to them, 

Characteristically, Jesus refuses to deal with the case as merely a legal matter, but treats it practically.

“Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 

In a capital case, the witnesses against the accused were to take the initiative in carrying out the execution (Deuteronomy 17:7). Jesus asks them to think first whether their own conscience proclaims them worthy to sit in judgment. Typically, Pharisees thought of themselves as sinless but Jesus had on other occasions made it clear that He did not consider them so. If they threw the first stones and were arrested by the Romans, they could not use the excuse that He had told them to do it.

⁸    Again he bent down and wrote on the ground. ⁹ And in response, they went away one by one, beginning with the elders. 

The elders are the wiser ones; they recognize that their trap has been reversed and that they are now in a dilemma: If they stone her they have no one to blame but themselves and will be fully answerable to the Romans; if they don’t, they will have rejected the Law of Moses. Rather than press forward with their charges, they retreat, perhaps being ashamed of having tried to use the woman’s humiliation as a means on ensnaring a man.

So he was left alone with the woman before him. ¹⁰ Then Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” ¹¹ She replied, “No one, sir.” Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. 

After the accusers have left, Jesus makes it clear that He is not ranked among them.

Go, (and) from now on do not sin any more.”  

The lesson of this story is not that sin is of no importance, or that God does not punish sin, but that God extends mercy to the sinner that he may turn from his sin. He condemns the sin but not the sinner. 

www.scborromeo.org

Meditation: "Go, and do not sin again"

Are you ready to be changed and transformed in Christ-like 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)

Daily Quote from the early church fathers: A humble examination, by Bede the Venerable, 672-735 A.D.

"In line with our usual human way of doing things, we can understand that the reason why the Lord might wish to bend before his unprincipled tempters and to write on the ground was that by directing his look elsewhere he might give them the freedom to go away. He foresaw that as they had been astounded by his answer, they would be more inclined to depart quickly than to ask him more questions... Figuratively speaking, the fact that both before and after he gave his opinion he bent and wrote on the ground admonishes us that both before we rebuke a sinning neighbor and after we have rendered to him the ministry of due correction, we should subject ourselves to a suitably humble examination, lest perhaps we be entangled in the same things that we censure in [our neighbors] or in any other sort of misdeeds. For it often comes about, for example, that people who publicly judge a murderer to be a sinner may not perceive the worse evil of the hatred with which they themselves despoil someone in secret. People who bring an accusation against a fornicator may ignore the plague of the pride with which they congratulate themselves for their own chastity. People who condemn a drunkard may not see the venom of envy with which they themselves are eaten away. In dangers of this sort, what saving remedy is left for us except that, when we look at some other sinner, we immediately bend down - that is, we humbly observe how we would be cast down by our frail condition if divine benevolence did not keep us from falling? Let us write with a finger on the ground - that is, let us meticulously ponder with discrimination whether we can say with blessed Job, 'For our heart does not censure us in all our life' (Job 27:6), and let us painstakingly remember that if our heart censures us, God is greater than our heart and he knows all things." (excerpt from HOMILIES ON THE GOSPELS 1.25)

www.dailyscripture.net

FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT
SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 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).
TO KNOW: Jews considered idolatry, 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.
TO LOVE: Am I quick to judge the faults of others?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, thank you for setting me free from my sins.

www.togetherwigodsword.com

Sunday March 13 2016

Sun 13th. 5th Sunday of Lent. Isaiah 43:16-21. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy—Ps 125(126). Philippians 3:8-14. John 8:1-11.

Readings

Let the one among you who is guilty cast the first stone.

In today’s Gospel, the Scribes and Pharisees, the accusers, draw attention away from their own sins and their own need for conversion, as they made a scapegoat of a women caught in adultery. Jesus knew the challenge lay in casting the first stone. Once that had happened they would have all joined in, like a lynch mob. The tactic worked, and they all went away leaving Jesus with the woman. When Jesus straightened up he would have looked the woman in the eye and she would have seen the look of one who loved without judgment. She must have been empowered by that love and called to respond. Jesus asked the woman to go away and sin no more. May we hear this challenge today and stop the destructive things that get us into trouble. May we admit our faults and work to heal them. Then we will be free to follow where Jesus calls us.

www.pray.com.au

MINUTE MEDITATIONS 

Give Us Strength

Dear Lord, like the second criminal nailed to the cross beside Jesus, give us the strength to embrace your love, to surrender our control, and face the suffering that might come our way.

— from The Last Words of Jesus 

March 13
St. Leander of Seville
(c. 550-600)

The next time you recite the Nicene Creed at Mass, think of today’s saint. For it was Leander of Seville who, as bishop, introduced the practice in the sixth century. He saw it as a way to help reinforce the faith of his people and as an antidote against the heresy of Arianism, which denied the divinity of Christ. By the end of his life, Leander had helped Christianity flourish in Spain at a time of political and religious upheaval.

Leander’s own family was heavily influenced by Arianism, but he himself grew up to be a fervent Christian. He entered a monastery as a young man and spent three years in prayer and study. At the end of that tranquil period he was made a bishop. For the rest of his life he worked strenuously to fight against heresy. The death of the anti-Christian king in 586 helped Leander’s cause. He and the new king worked hand in hand to restore orthodoxy and a renewed sense of morality. Leander succeeded in persuading many Arian bishops to change their loyalties.

Leander died around 600. In Spain he is honored as a Doctor of the Church.

www.americancatholic.org

LECTIO DIVINA: 5TH SUNDAY OF LENT (C)

Lectio Divina: 

 Sunday, March 13, 2016

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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