MARCH 17^th 2013. FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT

Gospel: John 8:1-11

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

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

GOSPEL:                       John 8:1-11

Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At daybreak he appeared in the Temple again; and as all the people came to him, he sat down and began to teach them.

The scribes and Pharisees brought a woman along who had been caught committing adultery; and making her stand there in full view of everybody, they said to Jesus, 'Master, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery, and Moses has ordered us in the Law to condemn women like this to death by stoning. What have you to say?' They asked him this as a test, looking for something to use against him. But Jesus bent down and started writing on the ground with his finger. As they persisted with their question, he looked up and said, 'If there is one of you who has not sinned, let him be the first to throw a stone at her'. Then be bent down and wrote on the ground again. When they heard this they went away one by one, beginning with the eldest, until Jesus was left alone with the woman, who remained standing there. He looked up and said,

'Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?' '

No one, sir' she replied.

'Neither do I condemn you,' said Jesus 'go away, and don't sin any more.'

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

The story of the woman caught in adultery is captivating and inspiring. But Don Fabio encourages us to focus on a curious phrase that Jesus utters at the end of the Gospel: “Go away and sin no more”. How can Jesus expect this woman never to lapse into sin again? Sin involves living in a state in which we are cut off from intimacy with God. In this isolated state, we strive to dispel our loneliness by engaging in sinful activity that is egoistic and self-directed. How can we overcome such sinful habits? We overcome sin by living in an intimate relationship with the Lord. The woman in the Gospel is left alone with Jesus when all of her accusers walk away. Being alone with Jesus - a genuine one-to-one relationship with the Lord - is the complete cure for all of our sinful tendencies. It is an effective guarantee that we will never sin again. Don Fabio points out that attempted adherence to a moral code is never a solution for sin. If it were, then we would not need a saviour. The solution to sin is not an ethical framework but an alternative way of life that springs from intimacy with God. In this week that has given us a new Holy Father, let us make the time to experience that life-changing intimacy with the Lord! Viva il Papa!

How can Jesus seriously expect this woman never to sin again?

This week’s Gospel presents the memorable episode in which Jesus defends the woman who has been caught in the act of adultery. At the beginning of the scene, the woman stands accused before everyone. At the end, the tables have been completely turned: the accusers walk away in an implicit admission of their own sinfulness, whilst the woman is completely absolved of her guilt. This story captivates the imagination. Jesus confounds those who wish to trap him, and he manifests tender mercy to the sinful woman. But we should not overlook the significance of the final phrase of the Gospel. Jesus says, “Has no-one condemned you? Neither do I condemn you. Go away and sin no more.” It is a major thing to ask someone never to sin again! How can Jesus seriously expect this woman to go through life without ever falling into sin? Who among us could guarantee that they will never sin again? And, more crucially, what does Jesus do to help ensure that this woman will never lapse into sin?

Sin involves self-directed actions of people who are not on intimate terms with God

How do we overcome sin? Sin is distance from God; it is intimacy with inappropriate things; sin involves a disordered union with people and objects. We overcome sin when we return to intimacy with God, which is the contrary of sin. In the background to all sinful actions, whether we know it or not, there is a lack of trust towards God, towards that which transcends our narrow self-interest. Even in the case of people who do not know God, sin involves activity that is egoistic, self-reliant and self-directed.

If this is what constitutes sin, then how is the woman to avoid it in the future? We are told in the Gospel that her accusers walk away and she is left alone with Jesus. She has a completely one-to-one, exclusive, encounter with Jesus. It is this intimacy with Jesus that will substitute the sinful behaviour that she had indulged in previously. The one-to-one relationship with Jesus becomes the foundation of a life without sin. Her life has now been filled by something else. She has an intimate relationship with someone who has been left alone with her. It is only when the solitude of the human being has been shattered by the love of God that it becomes possible never to sin again.

Sin cannot be overcome by  attempted adherence to moral or ethical codes

Our attempts to overcome sin are often based on ethical/moral considerations. We recognize that the act we are doing is wrong, and we try various techniques to stop doing that act. But all of our efforts to correct our bad habits meet with no success. If ethical codes, or moral values, or laws in themselves, had the capacity to change us, then there would have been no need for Christ to die on the Cross. There would have been no need for someone to take on himself the condemnation of humanity. Jesus became flesh and accepted upon himself the solitude of man, enduring willingly the complete separation from God that he experienced on the Cross. All of this was done so that we could discover the alternative to sin, which is tender, loving, intimacy with God.

Jesus does not simply tell us not to sin; he provides an alternative to sin, an antidote to sin, a way of life in which sin does not figure at all

When Jesus says, “Do not sin again,” he is not saying, “Adhere to the moral law and do not sin any more.” He is not saying, “Here is a list of things that you cannot do again, and, unfortunately for you, adultery is one of them.” Instead Jesus is presenting an alternative way of life to sin, and this way of life is simply intimacy with him. In what way does sin ruin my life? It ruins my life in that it creates an obstacle to encountering the Lord. It turns me away from the one who loves me and accepts me. The woman’s sinful ways end when she is left alone with Christ. She no longer has need of sin; she no longer has need to seek intimacy in inappropriate ways; she has found her true Spouse. A true spouse is someone who knows how to love the other, who accepts the other, understands the other, does not judge the other. The men of this generation need to remember how to love their spouses authentically as Jesus loves all of us. How many men are in need of learning the art of being with their spouses, never leaving them spiritually and emotionally isolated! In the Gospel, the woman who is loved finds herself in a state where she need never sin again; where she is welcomed and embraced by the arms of mercy. For her, sin is over; intimacy with God has begun - authentic love has begun.