April 7th 2019.  Fifth Sunday of Lent

GOSPEL John 8:1-11

Translated from a homily by Don Fabio Rosini, broadcast on Vatican Radio

Don Fabio’s reflection follows the Gospel reading . . .

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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.”

The Gospel of the Lord: Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ

Kieran’s summary . . . In the Gospel, a woman is publicly accused of adultery. Her accusers are many. But, by the end of the story, only she has been freed from her guilt, while all of her accusers still bear the guilt of their own sins! They could not stone her because Jesus said, “Let him who is without sin, cast the first stone”, and so they walk away, still in their sin. But the real shock of this text is Jesus instruction, “Go and sin no more”. How can we stop sinning? Sin is separation from God and disordered union with things and persons. At the background of all sin is a basic mistrust in the goodness of God. We turn away from God and turn inwards on ourselves in individualistic, self-directed actions. How can we stop doing this? The Gospel shows us how. All the accusers leave and the woman is alone with Jesus. It is an intimate and loving relationship with God that is the only authentic substitute for the disordered behaviour that is sin. Only when this relationship becomes the foundation of our lives does it become possible for us not to sin. If ethical codes and moral prescriptions were sufficient to stop us from sinning, then Jesus would not have needed to become incarnate. But Jesus became incarnate and assumed the isolated condition of man, willingly enduring the complete separation from God on the cross. By so doing, he introduced into the world the alternative to sin, which is a relationship of intimacy and love with God. When Jesus says, "Do not sin anymore", he is not saying, "Here is a list of things that cannot be done and adultery is one of these". Rather, Jesus is opening a way of life different from sin, which is simply intimacy with Him. The life of sin for this woman ends after she remains alone with Christ. She no longer needs to look for intimacy elsewhere

How can we not sin anymore? How can authentic love begin in us?

This week’s Gospel tells the story of the woman caught in flagrant adultery. One of the striking aspects of this text is that the woman - accused in front of everyone at the beginning - is the only one acquitted of guilt in the end, while the accusers - who could not stone her because none of them is "without sin” - go away still carrying their sins! The final phrase of Jesus should be noted: “Go and from now on do not sin anymore”. How can anyone be asked not to sin anymore? Who could guarantee such a thing? Why did Jesus think he could ask this? Let us consider the nature of sin for a moment. Sin is separation from God and disordered union with persons and objects. In the background of all sinful actions, whether we know it or not, there is a lack of trust in God, even if one is not thinking about God at that moment. The substance of sin is self-directed, individualistic activity, which denies our bonds with others or exploits them for our own selfish ends. It is the turning inward on oneself and the perversion of all kinds of relationships, including our relationship with God. If this is what constitutes sin, then how can the woman avoid it in the future? This is how: we are told that his accusers turn away and she remains alone with Jesus; she has an exclusive encounter with Jesus; it is this intimacy with him that will replace her previous adultery. The one-to-one relationship with Jesus becomes the foundation of a new life, a life filled with something else: an intimate relationship with the one who releases her from condemnation. When the solitude of the human being is dissolved by the love of God, then it becomes possible not to sin.

Ethical-moral prescriptions are not sufficient

Many attempts to overcome vice are based on ethical and moral prescriptions. We recognize that the act we are doing is sinful and we try various techniques for quitting. But often the results are ridiculous. If ethical codes, moral values ​​or norms had the capacity in themselves to change us, then it would not have been necessary for Christ to become incarnate! There would have been no need for someone to take upon himself the condemnation of humanity. But Jesus became incarnate and assumed the isolated condition of man, willingly enduring the complete separation from God on the cross. By so doing, he introduced into the world the alternative to sin, which is a relationship of intimacy and love with God. When Jesus says, "Do not sin anymore", he is not affirming, "Adhere to the moral law and do not violate it", or, "Here is a list of things that cannot be done and adultery is one of these". Jesus is opening a way of life different from sin, which is simply intimacy with Him. The life of sin for this woman ends after she remains alone with Christ. She no longer needs to look for intimacy elsewhere. For her, the time wasted looking for false love is over. Intimacy with God has been established and authentic love has begun. She will never lose him again because his mercy is eternal.