Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent

During the Fifth Week of Lent (especially in cycles B and C when the Gospel of Lazarus is not read on the Fifth Sunday of Lent) optional Mass Texts are offered.

“Three Companions in the Furnace” By Gustave Doré,1865

Readings for Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent [1]

Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]

Readings and Commentary:[3]

Reading I: Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95

King Nebuchadnezzar said:

“Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,

that you will not serve my god,

or worship the golden statue that I set up?

Be ready now to fall down and worship the statue I had made,

whenever you hear the sound of the trumpet,

flute, lyre, harp, psaltery, bagpipe,

and all the other musical instruments;

otherwise, you shall be instantly cast into the white-hot furnace;

and who is the God who can deliver you out of my hands?”

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar,

“There is no need for us to defend ourselves before you

in this matter.

If our God, whom we serve,

can save us from the white-hot furnace

and from your hands, O king, may he save us!

But even if he will not, know, O king,

that we will not serve your god

or worship the golden statue that you set up.”

King Nebuchadnezzar’s face became livid with utter rage

against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

He ordered the furnace to be heated seven times more than usual

and had some of the strongest men in his army

bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego

and cast them into the white-hot furnace.

Nebuchadnezzar rose in haste and asked his nobles,

“Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?”

“Assuredly, O king,” they answered.

“But,” he replied, “I see four men unfettered and unhurt,

walking in the fire, and the fourth looks like a son of God.”

Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed,

“Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,

who sent his angel to deliver the servants who trusted in him;

they disobeyed the royal command and yielded their bodies

rather than serve or worship any god

except their own God.”

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Commentary on Dn3:14-20, 91-92, 95

The story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (whose Hebrew names are Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael, see Daniel 1: 6-7) is recounted in this selection. The three companions of the book’s hero, Daniel, are commanded to violate Mosaic Law by worshiping a graven image. In their love for God they reject this command and are condemned to be burned alive. Rather than perishing in the fire King Nebuchadnezzar had prepared for them, God sends an angel to intervene, the brothers are saved, and the king is converted.

This passage, popular during the persecutions of both the Jews in their exile and the Christians, served as a sign of the promise of salvation for the faithful, proof that God would not abandon them in their need.

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Responsorial Psalm: Daniel 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56

R. (52b) Glory and praise for ever!

“Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers,

praiseworthy and exalted above all forever;

And blessed is your holy and glorious name,

praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages.”

R. Glory and praise for ever!

“Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory,

praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.

R. Glory and praise for ever!

“Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom,

praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.”

R. Glory and praise for ever!

“Blessed are you who look into the depths

from your throne upon the cherubim;

praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.”

R. Glory and praise for ever!

“Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven,

praiseworthy and glorious forever.”

R. Glory and praise for ever!

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Commentary on Dn 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56

The Responsorial Psalm is a song of praise to God taken from the Book of Daniel.  This selection is the hymn chanted by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego as they stood in the white-hot furnace. (Note: in Daniel 1:7 Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were given the Babylonian names of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.) This section is part of one of the litanies contained in the hymn. In this instance, it is a doxology. “In general this word means a short verse praising God and beginning, as a rule, with the Greek word Doxa.”[4]

The three heroes were being punished by King Nebuchadnezzar for not worshiping a golden idol he had set up.  An angel of God came to them in their plight and kept them from harm, even though the furnace was so hot it burned those who tended it.

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Gospel: John 8:31-42

Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him,

“If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples,

and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham

and have never been enslaved to anyone.

How can you say, ‘You will become free’?”

Jesus answered them, “Amen, amen, I say to you,

everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.

A slave does not remain in a household forever,

but a son always remains.

So if the Son frees you, then you will truly be free.

I know that you are descendants of Abraham.

But you are trying to kill me,

because my word has no room among you.

I tell you what I have seen in the Father’s presence;

then do what you have heard from the Father.”

They answered and said to him, “Our father is Abraham.”

Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children,

you would be doing the works of Abraham.

But now you are trying to kill me,

a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God;

Abraham did not do this.

You are doing the works of your father!”

So they said to him, “We were not born of fornication.

We have one Father, God.”

Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me,

for I came from God and am here;

I did not come on my own, but he sent me.”

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Commentary on Jn 8:31-42

In this passage from St. John’s Gospel, Jesus continues his discourse with the Jews “who believed in him.” This statement is ironic, since just a few verses later (v. 37) he says: “But you are trying to kill me.” The Lord offers these new believers freedom through the truth that is Jesus, the Son of God. 

The response "We are descendants of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone." is very odd since the Hebrew enslavement by the Egyptians and their subsequent Exodus, led by Moses, defines them as God's people. [5] Jesus moves the discourse to a higher level. The point made here is that all are enslaved by sin and only Jesus, who is sent by the Father, can release us from that slavery. As much as the Jews argue that they have come from Abraham, Jesus pushes back and says, if you came from Abraham; your actions would make that clear; if you believe in God that also would be clear – something different must therefore be true.

CCC: Jn 8:31-32 89; Jn 8:32 1741, 2466; Jn 8:33-36 588; Jn 8:34-36 549, 601, 613

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Reflection:

Heavenly Father, we humbly pray that those suffering from the coronavirus be returned quickly to full health by the power of your Son’s healing presence, and those in fear be calmed through the Holy Spirit.

In Christ’s name we pray. – Amen.

We are given two contrasting pictures of humanity in today’s scripture and we see God’s response clearly. In the first reading we find Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego confronted with a horrible death by being burned alive in a furnace if they do not become apostate, reject their God and worship King Nebuchadnezzar’s golden idol.

The three companions of Daniel remain faithful, and even though the men who cast them into the furnace are killed by the heat in the act of throwing them into the flames, they are unharmed. Not just unharmed: scripture tells us they are walking around on the white hot coals, in the company of a fourth who is apparently an angel (“the fourth looks like a son of God”). Their reward for faithfulness was salvation by divine intervention.

We then shift to Jesus, still embroiled in the discussion started earlier in St. John’s Gospel. It says he is speaking to Jews who believe in him, but we note that later in the passage, on a couple of different occasions, the Lord mentions they are trying to kill him – not something the “Jews who believe in him” would be doing.

St. John’s Gospel is full of ironic statements, and there are a couple of good ones in this passage. But rather than getting focused on the language, let’s look at the message. The example of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego being saved because they were faithful in the face of death is taken to a new level in Christ who, being one with the Father, asks for that same level of faithfulness in order to save us from an even worse fate.

When we take this message in the context of our Lenten journey, we see that scripture calls us to refine and sharpen our sense of who we are in Christ Jesus. He calls to us and tells us by example that, if we believe in him, our actions will demonstrate our faith. If we are truly people who believe in him, others will see us and how we love one another, and they will know of our belief in the Only Begotten Son of God.

In this strange year where many of us will not be able to receive the Blessed Sacrament or celebrate as a community in our houses of worship, be prepared to receive spiritual communion:

My Jesus,

I believe that You

are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.

I love You above all things,

and I desire to receive You into my soul.

Since I cannot at this moment

receive You sacramentally,

come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You.

Amen.

Pax

---

[1] The picture is “Three Companions in the Furnace” By Gustave Doré,1865.

[2] S.S. Commemoratio

[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.

[4] Catholic Encyclopedia at New Advent

[5] The Gospel of John, Francis Martin and William M. Wright IV © 2015, Baker Academic, Grand Rapids MI, p. 160-61.

Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent

During the Fifth Week of Lent (especially in cycles B and C when the Gospel of Lazarus is not read on the Fifth Sunday of Lent) optional Mass Texts are offered.

“Christ Holds the Cross” by El Greco 1602-07

Readings for Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent [1]

Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]

Readings and Commentary:[3]

Reading I: Numbers 21:4-9

From Mount Hor the children of Israel set out on the Red Sea road,

to bypass the land of Edom.

But with their patience worn out by the journey,

the people complained against God and Moses,

“Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this desert,

where there is no food or water?

We are disgusted with this wretched food!”

In punishment the LORD sent among the people saraph serpents,

which bit the people so that many of them died.

Then the people came to Moses and said,

“We have sinned in complaining against the LORD and you.

Pray the LORD to take the serpents away from us.”

So Moses prayed for the people, and the LORD said to Moses,

“Make a saraph and mount it on a pole,

and whoever looks at it after being bitten will live.”

Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole,

and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent

looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.

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Commentary on Nm 21:4-9

The reading from the book of Numbers recounts another intervention by God along the Hebrew sojourn in the desert.  God had already provided “manna” which is what the Israelites in this reading now call “wretched food.” They believed that, because they offended God with their bitterness and lack of gratitude, they failed to love God and sinned against him. In punishment, serpents were sent to afflict them.

This event is seen by the Christian community as an analogy to the later crucifixion of Jesus. “If anyone who has been bitten looks at it, he will recover," and "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that those who believe in him may not perish, but may have life everlasting" (John 3:14-15). [4]

CCC: Nm 21:4-9 2130

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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 102:2-3, 16-18, 19-21

R. (2) O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you.

O LORD, hear my prayer,

and let my cry come to you.

Hide not your face from me

in the day of my distress.

Incline your ear to me;           

in the day when I call, answer me speedily.

R. O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you.

The nations shall revere your name, O LORD,

and all the kings of the earth your glory,

When the LORD has rebuilt Zion

and appeared in his glory;

When he has regarded the prayer of the destitute,

and not despised their prayer.

R. O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you.

Let this be written for the generation to come,

and let his future creatures praise the LORD:

“The LORD looked down from his holy height,

from heaven he beheld the earth,

To hear the groaning of the prisoners,

to release those doomed to die.”

R. O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you.

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Commentary on Ps 102:2-3, 16-18, 19-21

Psalm 102 is an individual lament. In this selection we find the cry of the people in the desert once more being directed to the Lord. The song proposes a covenant: If you hear our plea, we will revere your name.

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Gospel: John 8:21-30

Jesus said to the Pharisees:

“I am going away and you will look for me,

but you will die in your sin.

Where I am going you cannot come.”

So the Jews said,

“He is not going to kill himself, is he,

because he said, ‘Where I am going you cannot come’?”

He said to them, “You belong to what is below,

I belong to what is above.

You belong to this world,

but I do not belong to this world.

That is why I told you that you will die in your sins.

For if you do not believe that I AM,

you will die in your sins.”

So they said to him, “Who are you?”

Jesus said to them, “What I told you from the beginning.

I have much to say about you in condemnation.

But the one who sent me is true,

and what I heard from him I tell the world.”

They did not realize that he was speaking to them of the Father.

So Jesus said to them,

“When you lift up the Son of Man,

then you will realize that I AM,

and that I do nothing on my own,

but I say only what the Father taught me.

The one who sent me is with me.

He has not left me alone,

because I always do what is pleasing to him.”

Because he spoke this way, many came to believe in him.

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Commentary on Jn 8:21-30

Jesus continues his discourse with the Pharisees, trying to lead them to understanding. He tells them that he is going away, clearly implying his own death, and tells them they may not follow him. Their unbelief is sin and hence they will die in their sin. They do not understand the manner of his death (that he will lay his life down) but rather see a partial truth in thinking he will kill himself.

Even though he uses language filled with specific clues (e.g. the use of the phrase “I AM,” God’s own designation for himself) they still do not understand. Toward the end he alludes to the saraph image from Numbers: “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I AM,” and at the same time makes it clear whose Son he is.

CCC: Jn 8:28 211, 653, 2812; Jn 8:29 603, 1693, 2824, 2825

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Reflection:

Heavenly Father, we humbly pray that those suffering from the coronavirus be returned quickly to full health by the power of your Son’s healing presence, and those in fear be calmed through the Holy Spirit.

In Christ’s name we pray. – Amen.

In the Gospel, Jesus is clearly getting a bit frustrated with the Hebrew leadership for not being able to understand who he is (even though he uses the Hebrew formula for God: “I AM,” referring to himself on a couple of occasions).  We, his modern-day disciples, see the meaning clearly in his statements and understand he is truly the Son of God.

Frustration and impatience also play a role in the first reading.  This time however, it is the Hebrew people being led out of Egypt.  From a practical standpoint, the reading from Numbers should speak to us today.  How often have we fallen into the role of the Hebrews in the story about the saraph serpents?  How frequently have we heard ourselves complaining: why did God let that happen? Or, why did God put me in this situation? 

It’s the “blessing and curse” opposition of a covenant relationship.  God made us in his own image and likeness.  In doing so he gave all mankind (the good and the bad) free will.  He gave us the freedom to make choices, good and bad, and placed us in a world full of people with that same ability.  What he did not do was make us slaves to him as he so easily could have done.  That would have been absolutely necessary if all of our choices in life would lead us to happy outcomes all of the time.

So, bad things happen.  They usually happen because we make bad decisions and put ourselves in situations where the outcomes are not positive.  They happen because the people around us make bad decisions, perhaps not for themselves. Look, for example, at executives who decide they need to reduce labor costs and lay people off so they can make their profit numbers and get their bonus, so shareholders can make the money they expect on their investments.  For the executive it was a good decision, for the people who invested their 401k money in the company it was a good thing.  For the worker who no longer has an income, it might seem that God had dealt them an unfair blow.

Recognizing that there is evil in the world and that God has given us the ability to choose between good and evil, we must also look at situations in which we feel frustrated or unjustly treated by God. We need to ask: who really put us there? God is there for us.  He sent his Son to us to give us hope and peace.  We only need to reach out to him, to believe he is I AM, and we find that salvation and peace. 

In this strange year where many of us will not be able to receive the Blessed Sacrament or celebrate as a community in our houses of worship, be prepared to receive spiritual communion:

My Jesus,

I believe that You

are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.

I love You above all things,

and I desire to receive You into my soul.

Since I cannot at this moment

receive You sacramentally,

come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You.

Amen.

Pax

---

[1] The picture used is “Christ Holds the Cross” by El Greco 1602-07.

[2] S.S. Commemoratio

[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.

[4] See NAB Footnote on Numbers 21: 4ff.

Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent

During the Fifth Week of Lent (especially in cycles B and C when the Gospel of Lazarus is not read on the Fifth Sunday of Lent) optional Mass Texts are offered.

“Susanna and the Elders” (detail)
by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn 1647

Readings for Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent [1]

Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]

Readings and Commentary:[3]

Reading 1: Daniel 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62

In Babylon there lived a man named Joakim,

who married a very beautiful and God-fearing woman, Susanna,

the daughter of Hilkiah;

her pious parents had trained their daughter

according to the law of Moses.

Joakim was very rich;

he had a garden near his house,

and the Jews had recourse to him often

because he was the most respected of them all.

That year, two elders of the people were appointed judges,

of whom the Lord said, "Wickedness has come out of Babylon:

from the elders who were to govern the people as judges."

These men, to whom all brought their cases,

frequented the house of Joakim.

When the people left at noon,

Susanna used to enter her husband's garden for a walk.

When the old men saw her enter every day for her walk,

they began to lust for her.

They suppressed their consciences;

they would not allow their eyes to look to heaven,

and did not keep in mind just judgments.

One day, while they were waiting for the right moment,

she entered the garden as usual, with two maids only.

She decided to bathe, for the weather was warm.

Nobody else was there except the two elders,

who had hidden themselves and were watching her.

"Bring me oil and soap," she said to the maids,

"and shut the garden doors while I bathe."

As soon as the maids had left,

the two old men got up and hurried to her.

"Look," they said, "the garden doors are shut, and no one can see us;

give in to our desire, and lie with us.

If you refuse, we will testify against you

that you dismissed your maids because a young man was here with you."

"I am completely trapped," Susanna groaned.

"If I yield, it will be my death;

if I refuse, I cannot escape your power.

Yet it is better for me to fall into your power without guilt

than to sin before the Lord."

Then Susanna shrieked, and the old men also shouted at her,

as one of them ran to open the garden doors.

When the people in the house heard the cries from the garden,

they rushed in by the side gate to see what had happened to her.

At the accusations by the old men,

the servants felt very much ashamed,

for never had any such thing been said about Susanna.

When the people came to her husband Joakim the next day,

the two wicked elders also came,

fully determined to put Susanna to death.

Before all the people they ordered:

"Send for Susanna, the daughter of Hilkiah,

the wife of Joakim."

When she was sent for,

she came with her parents, children and all her relatives.

All her relatives and the onlookers were weeping.

In the midst of the people the two elders rose up

and laid their hands on her head.

Through tears she looked up to heaven,

for she trusted in the Lord wholeheartedly.

The elders made this accusation:

"As we were walking in the garden alone,

this woman entered with two girls

and shut the doors of the garden, dismissing the girls.

A young man, who was hidden there, came and lay with her.

When we, in a corner of the garden, saw this crime,

we ran toward them.

We saw them lying together,

but the man we could not hold, because he was stronger than we;

he opened the doors and ran off.

Then we seized her and asked who the young man was,

but she refused to tell us.

We testify to this."

The assembly believed them,

since they were elders and judges of the people,

and they condemned her to death.

But Susanna cried aloud:

"O eternal God, you know what is hidden

and are aware of all things before they come to be:

you know that they have testified falsely against me.

Here I am about to die,

though I have done none of the things

with which these wicked men have charged me."

The Lord heard her prayer.

As she was being led to execution,

God stirred up the holy spirit of a young boy named Daniel,

and he cried aloud:

"I will have no part in the death of this woman."

All the people turned and asked him, "What is this you are saying?"

He stood in their midst and continued,

"Are you such fools, O children of Israel!

To condemn a woman of Israel without examination

and without clear evidence?

Return to court, for they have testified falsely against her."

Then all the people returned in haste.

To Daniel the elders said,

"Come, sit with us and inform us,

since God has given you the prestige of old age."

But he replied,

"Separate these two far from each other that I may examine them."

After they were separated one from the other,

he called one of them and said:

"How you have grown evil with age!

Now have your past sins come to term:

passing unjust sentences, condemning the innocent,

and freeing the guilty, although the Lord says,

˜The innocent and the just you shall not put to death.'

Now, then, if you were a witness,

tell me under what tree you saw them together."

"Under a mastic tree," he answered.

Daniel replied, "Your fine lie has cost you your head,

for the angel of God shall receive the sentence from him

and split you in two."

Putting him to one side, he ordered the other one to be brought.

Daniel said to him,

"Offspring of Canaan, not of Judah, beauty has seduced you,

lust has subverted your conscience.

This is how you acted with the daughters of Israel,

and in their fear they yielded to you;

but a daughter of Judah did not tolerate your wickedness.

Now, then, tell me under what tree you surprised them together."

"Under an oak," he said.

Daniel replied, "Your fine lie has cost you also your head,

for the angel of God waits with a sword to cut you in two

so as to make an end of you both."

The whole assembly cried aloud,

blessing God who saves those who hope in him.

They rose up against the two elders,

for by their own words Daniel had convicted them of perjury.

According to the law of Moses,

they inflicted on them

the penalty they had plotted to impose on their neighbor:

they put them to death.

Thus was innocent blood spared that day.

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Commentary on Dn 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62

The story of Susanna and the Elders is one of three stories that now exist only in Greek. Neither this story nor the stories of "Bel and the Dragon" (Daniel 14) and "The prayer of Azariah" (Daniel 3:24ff) are included in the Hebrew Canon but have always been included by the Church.

This story is one of justice and the application of Mosaic Law.  Mosaic Law states in Deuteronomy 17:6, 19:5 that two witnesses must corroborate testimony against one charged. The innocent Susanna is rescued by the hero of the book, Daniel. In demanding the law be followed scrupulously, he rescues Susanna and expunges wickedness.

Within the story we find Susanna and her family likely intended to represent Israel. The two elders may have some link with the two false prophets who committed adultery and who are denounced in Jeremiah 29:21-23. The point is clearly made that what leads them astray is lust. A work attributed to St John Chrysostom comments on this passage: "If no passion undermines and corrupts it, the soul will remain clean and unstained. But if he does not guard his eyes, and looks at whatever he wants around him in the world, […] the poison of desire will enter through a man's sight and strike to the bottom of his heart; and he who was once a sober and modest man will be overwhelmed by a whirlwind of passions" (De Susanna, col. 591).[4]

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OR

Shorter Form: Daniel 13:41c-62

The assembly condemned Susanna to death.

But Susanna cried aloud:

"O eternal God, you know what is hidden

and are aware of all things before they come to be:

you know that they have testified falsely against me.

Here I am about to die,

though I have done none of the things

with which these wicked men have charged me."

The Lord heard her prayer.

As she was being led to execution,

God stirred up the holy spirit of a young boy named Daniel,

and he cried aloud:

"I will have no part in the death of this woman."

All the people turned and asked him,

"What is this you are saying?"

He stood in their midst and continued,

"Are you such fools, O children of Israel!

To condemn a woman of Israel without examination

and without clear evidence?

Return to court, for they have testified falsely against her."

Then all the people returned in haste.

To Daniel the elders said,

"Come, sit with us and inform us,

since God has given you the prestige of old age."

But he replied,

"Separate these two far from each other that I may examine them."

After they were separated one from the other,

he called one of them and said:

"How you have grown evil with age!

Now have your past sins come to term:

passing unjust sentences, condemning the innocent,

and freeing the guilty, although the Lord says,

‘The innocent and the just you shall not put to death.'

Now, then, if you were a witness,

tell me under what tree you saw them together."

"Under a mastic tree," he answered.

Daniel replied, "Your fine lie has cost you your head,

for the angel of God shall receive the sentence from him

and split you in two."

Putting him to one side, he ordered the other one to be brought.

Daniel said to him, "Offspring of Canaan, not of Judah,

beauty has seduced you, lust has subverted your conscience.

This is how you acted with the daughters of Israel,

and in their fear they yielded to you;

but a daughter of Judah did not tolerate your wickedness.

Now, then, tell me under what tree you surprised them together."

"Under an oak," he said.

Daniel replied, "Your fine lie has cost you also your head,"

for the angel of God waits with a sword to cut you in two

so as to make an end of you both."

The whole assembly cried aloud,

blessing God who saves those who hope in him.

They rose up against the two elders,

for by their own words Daniel had convicted them of perjury.

According to the law of Moses,

they inflicted on them

the penalty they had plotted to impose on their neighbor:

they put them to death.

Thus was innocent blood spared that day.

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Commentary on Dn 13:41c-62

The shorter version omits all that led up to the trial and conviction of Susanna. In doing so, this shorter form requires the reader to infer, based upon the final verdict, the injustice being plotted by the wicked elders. Daniel, now a judge raised up by God to protect the innocent, not a seer or interpreter of dreams, intervenes to rescue Susanna and demonstrate the justice of Mosaic Law.

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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6

R. (4ab) Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

In verdant pastures he gives me repose;

Beside restful waters he leads me;

he refreshes my soul.

R. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side.

He guides me in right paths

for his name's sake.

Even though I walk in the dark valley

I fear no evil; for you are at my side

With your rod and your staff

that give me courage.

R. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side.

You spread the table before me

in the sight of my foes;

You anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

R. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side.

Only goodness and kindness follow me

all the days of my life;

And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD

for years to come.

R. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side.

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Commentary on Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6

Psalm 23 is one of the most familiar songs in the entire psalter. “God's loving care for the psalmist is portrayed under the figures of a shepherd for the flock (Psalm 23:1-4) and a host's generosity toward a guest (Psalm 23:5-6). The imagery of both sections is drawn from traditions of the exodus (Isaiah 40:11; 49:10; Jeremiah 31:10).”[5] While the theme of Shepherd is mentioned in the first strophe, the psalm really speaks to the peace given to those who follow the Lord and place their trust in Him, even into the “dark valley.”

The reference in the third strophe above: “'You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes' occurs in an exodus context in Psalm 78:19. As my enemies watch: my enemies see that I am God's friend and guest. Oil: a perfumed ointment made from olive oil, used especially at banquets (Psalm 104:15; Matthew 26:7; Luke 7:37, 46; John 12:2).”[6]

CCC: Ps 23:5 1293

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Gospel: 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 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."

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Commentary on Jn 8:1-11

John’s Gospel places Jesus once more in the temple precincts. The story of Jesus and the adulterous woman constitutes another example of how the Jewish leadership attempts to trap Jesus with a difficult legal problem.  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.” As a side note, most scripture scholars believe this passage was not originally in St. John’s Gospel but was borrowed from St. Luke.  Regardless, from a very early period it has been considered sacred in the current context.

It is not completely clear what Jesus is being asked to judge.  The law concerning adultery by a betrothed virgin was stoning (see Deuteronomy 22:23-24).  However, the law concerning married women was simply death (see Leviticus 20:10 and Deuteronomy 22:22) and was generally carried out by strangulation.

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.)

In either case, Jesus should not have been able to commute her sentence without going against the law so he uses his knowledge of people’s hearts to have the charges withdrawn.  As we saw in the first reading, two accusers are required to condemn a person under the law.

The story continues that after his second set of writings in the dust, the group gathered to stone the woman; “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, emphasizing that Jesus came into the world not to judge it but through his presence save it.

CCC: Jn 8:2 583

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Reflection:

Heavenly Father, we humbly pray that those suffering from the coronavirus be returned quickly to full health by the power of your Son’s healing presence, and those in fear be calmed through the Holy Spirit.

In Christ’s name we pray. – Amen.

Today we ask a rhetorical question: what do you suppose Jesus wrote on the ground with his finger?  The stage is set.  Jesus is in the temple area teaching.  The religious leaders who have been looking for a means by which he could be arrested decide to set a fool-proof trap for him; they bring him a woman who has been convicted of adultery and sentenced to death under the Law of Moses (would you prefer strangulation or stoning?). 

The logic of the scribes and Pharisees was that if Jesus, well known for his mercy and forgiveness, pardoned her; he would have gone against the Law of Moses and they would have grounds to arrest him.  If he condemned her, they would lay her death at his feet, just as the death of St. Stephen was laid at the feet of Saul (St. Paul): “They threw him out of the city, and began to stone him. The witnesses laid down their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul “(Acts 7:58).

Instead of taking either side, guilt or innocence, Jesus begins writing on the ground with his finger.  What, we wonder, did he write?  There has been much speculation about this.  The most common belief is that he was writing the sins committed by the woman’s accusers – the witnesses against her.  The details of what those sins may have been are not recorded.  The results, however, were that those who attempted to defeat Jesus left.

The lesson of forgiveness is hammered home in the final verses of the passage as the Lord neither condemns the woman nor condones her actions.  Under the Law of Moses, for a person to be found guilty of a crime, two witnesses must testify to the guilt of the accused (an image nicely offered in the story of Susanna and the elders from Daniel).  In this case, there were none left and the woman was free to go.  Was she guilty of adultery?  No statement of guilt or innocence is mentioned. (It is interesting, however, that this story is described as “The Story of the Adulterous Woman” inferring a presumption of guilt.)

The next time we feel as though someone has wronged us and presume to punish them with angry words or legal action, let us envision the Lord calmly stooping down to write in the dirt with his finger.  We as Christians are called to a forgiveness that the Lord died for.  Can we do less for others?

In this strange year where many of us will not be able to receive the Blessed Sacrament or celebrate as a community in our houses of worship, be prepared to receive spiritual communion:

My Jesus,

I believe that You

are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.

I love You above all things,

and I desire to receive You into my soul.

Since I cannot at this moment

receive You sacramentally,

come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You.

Amen.

Pax

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[1] The picture is “Susanna and the Elders” (detail) by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn 1647.

[2] S.S. Commemoratio

[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.

[4] The Navarre Bible: “Major Prophets” Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002, p. 873.

[5] NAB footnote on Psalm 23.

[6] Ibid.