March 17, 2013 - Fifth Sunday Of Lent

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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.

This is what God says, the same God who drowned Pharaoh and all his soldiers in the Red Sea, this is what He says:

Remember not the events of the past,
the things of long ago consider not;
see, I am doing something new!

Forget about the past and all that happened long ago.  Because 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.

It is already here, but you can't see it.  In the desert, in the rivers, my creatures honor me.  Because I am pouring out my spirit into my people that I have made for myself that they may proclaim my glory. 

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.

We rejoice in God who has done mighty things for us.  When God brought us back from our captivity, we felt we were dreaming, then we were 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.

Then the Gentile nations said, "God is protecting them."  Because God has done wonderful things for us and we rejoice.

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.

Return to us what we had lost, O God.  Though we were indeed sad, we now are happy.

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.

Though we were suffering, we have returned 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.

St. Paul says that there is nothing good in this world, in comparison to the knowledge of Christ.

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.

Therefore, he considers all possession mere trash because he seeks eternal reward with God in heaven.  Jesus says the same thing when He said:

Matthew 10:37
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 

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.

Something very interesting here.  Note that although, he knows he is in the possession of Christ Jesus.  He also recognizes that he is not perfect and therefore that he has not taken hold of eternal life.  In other words, he knows he is not yet saved.

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.

But he doesn't let that discourage him.  He presses on towards the goal of salvation.  He presses on towards eternal union with Our Lord, Jesus Christ. 

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.

Jesus went to the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem to pray.  Then to the Temple area while it was still early.  The people noticed Him and began to gather around Him.  And He began to teach them.

Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman
who had been caught in adultery
and made her stand in the middle.

Then the Scribes and Pharisees brought a woman whom they caught being unfaithful to her husband.

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 to Jesus, "The law of Moses says that sinful women like this must be killed by stoning.  What do you say?"

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

They were testing Him.  You see, Roman law forbid that any person should be killed without the approval of the Roman Government.  Therefore, if Jesus called for her to be stoned, He, Himself, could be arrested by the Roman authorities.

But, if He said, "No, don't stone her!"  Then He would be guilty of violating the Law of Moses which the Jews still considered in force during that time.

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

But Jesus simply ignored them.  They didn't expect this.  He turned down and wrote on the ground.  This is the only thing that Scripture reveals Jesus ever wrote.  But the contents of the writing are not revealed.

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.

They kept on pressing Him to answer.  So He stood and said, "He who has no sin, be the first to condemn this woman."  And He bent down and wrote on the ground again.

This was very clever because at the perfect time, Jesus turned the tables on them.  Now, they could choose whether to violate Roman law or Mosaic law.  He put them in exactly the same situation they tried to put Him.

And in response, they went away one by one,
beginning with the elders.

They realized what He had done to them, so, beginning with the people in charge, they left Him alone, one by one.

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.”

When they were all gone except the woman, Jesus asked her, "Where did everybody go?  Did they not condemn you?"  And she replied, "No." So, Jesus said, "Nor do I.  Go in peace and sin no more."