Readings for Fifth Sunday of Lent[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible at Universalis
Commentary:
Reading 1 Is 43:16-21
The Prophet first demonstrates some irony as he tells the people he speaks in the name of God who lead the people out of Egypt and destroyed the Pharaoh’s army that pursued them. He then tells them not to think of the past.
He speaks then of their return from exile in Babylon (the event happening as he writes) and how he again saved the people through his creative works. The intent of this discourse is to tell the people to thank God for what they themselves are receiving.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Almost a continuation of the end of the reading from Isaiah, Psalm 126 is a community lament recalling the return from exile in Babylon. We find in this section the praise to God for accomplishing this deed. It is tempered at the end with a strophe that would indicate the continuing help of God is needed.
Reading II Phil 3:8-14
Paul begins this selection with his own profession – all he has given up for the Lord counts for nothing as he holds Christ’s Lordship as the only thing of worth. He goes on to say that it is only through his faith in Christ that he receives salvation, that his former devotion to the Law of Moses did not accomplish salvation (as the Jews believe).
In the second section Paul again uses himself as example, telling the Philippians that (even) he has not achieved the end goal of “perfect maturity” (a final state of grace); rather he still pursues that goal.
This discourse likely addresses some members of the community who fell they have achieved that high state of grace and have lost their humility. By his example Paul, who in his status as founder would be considered to have been further along this course, demonstrates the humble attitude that should be present.
Gospel Jn 8:1-11
John’s Gospel places Jesus once more in the temple precincts. The Pharisees are attempting to trap him in a contradiction of Mosaic Law. They have no doubt heard the Lord’s teaching about loving one another and believe that he will not condemn the adulterous woman and thereby give them reason to call him “blasphemer”.
In response, rather than debating the law, he simply begins writing in the dust. Tradition tells us that what he wrote with his finger was a list of the sins of those gathered to stone the woman caught in adultery. He then asked that the one without sin should cast the first stone. (The first stones were to be thrown by the witnesses).
The story continues that after his second set of writings in the dust, the group gathered to stone the woman; “…they went away one by one, beginning with the elders”. Even, or more importantly first, the elders left. No one was without sin.
In the closing statement Jesus does something unexpected. He does not judge the woman either, rather he tells her to go and sin no more. Jesus came into the world not to judge it but through his presence save it.
Reflection:
The Gospel of the Jesus and the adulterous woman brings into focus what scripture tells us as we reach the fifth week of our Lenten discipline. In the first reading from the Prophet Isaiah, we hear him telling the people that they do not need to look back to the time when they were saved by God in the exodus from Egypt. They can see God’s mercy and salvation around them even as they return from the Babylonian exile. Their response to the prophet might have been sung as we heard in the one hundred and twenty sixth psalm. (Our mini lesson here is to look around at what God has done for us, in his mercy, today.)
Taken chronologically, the next story we hear is Jesus and the adulterous woman. We find him challenged by the temple elders once more, this time bringing a woman to him, in humiliation, accused of adultery. Their motives were disingenuous as the Lord clearly saw. They assumed that, when so confronted, he would have only two choices. He could either support the letter of the law and pronounce a death sentence (taking them at their word that the woman had in fact been caught in adultery) or he could deny the law and stand as a blasphemer in the temple precincts. In either case he would be trapped either reversing his own teaching or contradicting the law.
Jesus took a third option, one not anticipated by the elders. He began writing in the dust in front of them. Tradition holds that what he was writing were the sins of those who accused the woman probably, in the first instance of those who had brought the charges (these would have been the ones required to cast the first stone) and then calling upon them, in the face of their own sins, to cast the first stone. The implication would have been that charges could be brought against the witnesses, potentially having them share the fate of the woman they condemned.
Again the Gospel tells us that, as soon as he called upon the witnesses to cast the first stone, he began writing in the dust. This time it was apparently the sins of the rest of those present. We are told the crowd all left, beginning with the elders. The image was clear, no one is without sin. All of the accusers left leaving Jesus with the woman, the sinner and the sinless.
Fulfilling his mission in microcosm, he did not judge her (us). He simply asked her where her accusers were and then told her he would not he would not accuse her either. He then told her to go and sin no more.
If that story were not enough, we are also given St. Paul’s profession in his letter to the Philippians. He confesses that even though he had given up everything for Christ, he did not consider himself fully reconciled with God in Christ. He tells us that it was for him (and is for us) an endless work for which we must be constantly strive.
The message as we said in the beginning is brought into focus by the Gospel – we must be constantly striving for the grace of God, recognizing that through his mercy we are invited back to him. We are always in need of forgiveness and that gift is freely given in Christ. Our prayer and great hope today is that we might come before Jesus in the sacraments and be made worthy of the gift he offers; peace in our day and salvation in the world to come.
Pax
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible at Universalis
Commentary:
Reading 1 Is 43:16-21
The Prophet first demonstrates some irony as he tells the people he speaks in the name of God who lead the people out of Egypt and destroyed the Pharaoh’s army that pursued them. He then tells them not to think of the past.
He speaks then of their return from exile in Babylon (the event happening as he writes) and how he again saved the people through his creative works. The intent of this discourse is to tell the people to thank God for what they themselves are receiving.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Almost a continuation of the end of the reading from Isaiah, Psalm 126 is a community lament recalling the return from exile in Babylon. We find in this section the praise to God for accomplishing this deed. It is tempered at the end with a strophe that would indicate the continuing help of God is needed.
Reading II Phil 3:8-14
Paul begins this selection with his own profession – all he has given up for the Lord counts for nothing as he holds Christ’s Lordship as the only thing of worth. He goes on to say that it is only through his faith in Christ that he receives salvation, that his former devotion to the Law of Moses did not accomplish salvation (as the Jews believe).
In the second section Paul again uses himself as example, telling the Philippians that (even) he has not achieved the end goal of “perfect maturity” (a final state of grace); rather he still pursues that goal.
This discourse likely addresses some members of the community who fell they have achieved that high state of grace and have lost their humility. By his example Paul, who in his status as founder would be considered to have been further along this course, demonstrates the humble attitude that should be present.
Gospel Jn 8:1-11
John’s Gospel places Jesus once more in the temple precincts. The Pharisees are attempting to trap him in a contradiction of Mosaic Law. They have no doubt heard the Lord’s teaching about loving one another and believe that he will not condemn the adulterous woman and thereby give them reason to call him “blasphemer”.
In response, rather than debating the law, he simply begins writing in the dust. Tradition tells us that what he wrote with his finger was a list of the sins of those gathered to stone the woman caught in adultery. He then asked that the one without sin should cast the first stone. (The first stones were to be thrown by the witnesses).
The story continues that after his second set of writings in the dust, the group gathered to stone the woman; “…they went away one by one, beginning with the elders”. Even, or more importantly first, the elders left. No one was without sin.
In the closing statement Jesus does something unexpected. He does not judge the woman either, rather he tells her to go and sin no more. Jesus came into the world not to judge it but through his presence save it.
Reflection:
The Gospel of the Jesus and the adulterous woman brings into focus what scripture tells us as we reach the fifth week of our Lenten discipline. In the first reading from the Prophet Isaiah, we hear him telling the people that they do not need to look back to the time when they were saved by God in the exodus from Egypt. They can see God’s mercy and salvation around them even as they return from the Babylonian exile. Their response to the prophet might have been sung as we heard in the one hundred and twenty sixth psalm. (Our mini lesson here is to look around at what God has done for us, in his mercy, today.)
Taken chronologically, the next story we hear is Jesus and the adulterous woman. We find him challenged by the temple elders once more, this time bringing a woman to him, in humiliation, accused of adultery. Their motives were disingenuous as the Lord clearly saw. They assumed that, when so confronted, he would have only two choices. He could either support the letter of the law and pronounce a death sentence (taking them at their word that the woman had in fact been caught in adultery) or he could deny the law and stand as a blasphemer in the temple precincts. In either case he would be trapped either reversing his own teaching or contradicting the law.
Jesus took a third option, one not anticipated by the elders. He began writing in the dust in front of them. Tradition holds that what he was writing were the sins of those who accused the woman probably, in the first instance of those who had brought the charges (these would have been the ones required to cast the first stone) and then calling upon them, in the face of their own sins, to cast the first stone. The implication would have been that charges could be brought against the witnesses, potentially having them share the fate of the woman they condemned.
Again the Gospel tells us that, as soon as he called upon the witnesses to cast the first stone, he began writing in the dust. This time it was apparently the sins of the rest of those present. We are told the crowd all left, beginning with the elders. The image was clear, no one is without sin. All of the accusers left leaving Jesus with the woman, the sinner and the sinless.
Fulfilling his mission in microcosm, he did not judge her (us). He simply asked her where her accusers were and then told her he would not he would not accuse her either. He then told her to go and sin no more.
If that story were not enough, we are also given St. Paul’s profession in his letter to the Philippians. He confesses that even though he had given up everything for Christ, he did not consider himself fully reconciled with God in Christ. He tells us that it was for him (and is for us) an endless work for which we must be constantly strive.
The message as we said in the beginning is brought into focus by the Gospel – we must be constantly striving for the grace of God, recognizing that through his mercy we are invited back to him. We are always in need of forgiveness and that gift is freely given in Christ. Our prayer and great hope today is that we might come before Jesus in the sacraments and be made worthy of the gift he offers; peace in our day and salvation in the world to come.
Pax
[1] After 04/07
[2] The image presented today is “Christ and fhe Adulterous Woman” by Pieter van Lint, ~1640
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