Gospel of Monday 3rd April 20017- Monday of the 5th week of Lent

My journey to Uganda is first and foremost about my preparations for my trip in July. However, preparing for Uganda does not mean my spiritual growth stops. This spiritual growth I feel is important in my journey to Uganda. With that in mind, I just wanted to take a few minutes to reflect on the Gospel from mass today.

It is not often that I am struck by the Gospel of a weekday mass. But the Gospel today made me think. The Gospel for Monday of the 5th week of Lent was John 8: 1-11, the woman caught in adultery. One might wonder why this Gospel struck me. It is one I know of well. I must have looked at it before during a retreat or study. Maybe it is just one that I hear told often. Reflecting on it I think of Zacchaeus and what I thought at first when Fr. Rob asked me to read it in the Holy Land and then subsequently when he asked me to share a bit of what that story said to me. Like Zaccheus, the adulterous women is one of those Gospel stories that has stayed with me, mainly because of that line, "Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her" (Jn 8;7). This line is one I think of often. I am unsure if I verbally share it with people but I often think of it. Who are we to judge others who have done something they should not have, made a silly mistake or uttered the wrong words? Every one of us during our lifetime has done something wrong, we are not angels.... None of us has the right to condemn others for their actions for we all make mistakes in life. Nobody is without sin, Jesus knew this which is why he said what he did to the accusers of the woman. How could they condemn when they themselves were sinners.

Looking at the passage as a whole we see that Jesus does not condemn the woman for her wrongdoing. Instead, he tells her to not sin again. It is not always so easy to give up a bad habit, to not sin. However, I think Jesus probably felt the woman knew she had done wrong so all he needed to do was encourage her to not sin again.At the start of the passage, we read of men who had brought the woman to Jesus. In presenting the woman to Jesus they speak of the law given by Moses. Yes, this was the law of the people since it was handed down to Moses but now there was a new law.  Jesus came himself as the new covenant for the people. What he said, what he did was the way God wanted the people to live. Jesus did not come to abolish the law of Moses but I think he wanted to build on it. And what better way to build on a law than to live it out? In Matthew 5:17 Jesus himself tells his followers that he did not come to abolish the laws or the prophets but to fulfil them.

The Scribes and Pharisees asked Jesus for his opinion of what to do with the woman for they were testing him. I think this Gospel is fitting at the start of the 5th week of Lent, just over a week before the Triduum where we commemorate the death and resurrection of Jesus. Before they arrested him the leaders were looking for a reason to arrest him. They did not like what he was doing so felt they had to shut him up. The only way to do this was to kill him. But they wanted to do so in a lawful way. For this reason they tested him. I would imagine that on the occasion with the adulterous woman they were not expecting the response they got. Every time Jesus was tested, and there were a few occasions, we see how he rose to the test and did not make things any worse for himself. On this occasion Jesus saw no reason to condemn the woman. This is why he asked them to cast the first stone whichever of them was free from sin. They all went away having heard Jesus ask this for they knew that they were not perfect either. I think it is interesting the way we are told 'they went away'. Why this wording not something else like walk away. I think went away implies to leave and not look back. I imagine the men went away in silence with their heads bowed low for Jesus had just spoken another truth. On seeing that all the men had left I think the woman was surprised. She knew she had done wrong but now it was just her and Jesus. Jesus was not surprised.

When praying evening prayer today the reading resonated with me. I instantly linked it to today's Gospel. In Romans 5;8-9 St Paul tells us that Christ died for us sinners to make us righteous. Christ will always save us from God's anger according to Paul. The greatest love one can have for another is to lay down their life for them. Jesus did this for us when he died on the cross. God does not hold our wrongdoings against us just as in today's Gospel Jesus dis not condemn the woman caught in adultery.

Lent is a time of repentance. Let us listen to the Gospel's of these days and turn to God. As we are told on Ash Wednesday as we receive ashes, 'Repent and believe the good news'. God is the good news, the love He has for all of us. May we never forget that. When he lived among the people on earth Jesus demonstrated the love of God, he was the way, the truth and the life!