5th Sunday of Lent (Fr. Francis)

Today is the fifth Sunday of Lent. Gradually, we are coming close to the end of Lent. On the other hand, we are getting close to, the paschal feast. In order words, we are gradually moving away from the zone of suffering to the zone of glory. Hence, all the readings of this Sunday give us hope, and paint a picture of a very bright future for us.

In the first reading, God tells us of the new things he has started doing among us, and for us. He is restoring our hope, and giving us every reason to continue living. This means that in spite of the difficulties of this present moment and season, the Lord will put a smile on our faces soon. Surely, he will do this because: “Weeping may endure at night but joy comes in the morning” (Ps 30, 5). There is hope because we are approaching our morning. Hence, we must be positive about the future as we approach the Paschal celebration. This is because God is ready to fulfill his promises to us.

In our second reading, Paul tells us that he decided to count everything as a loss for the sake of Christ. This was in order to gain the future glory to be revealed in Christ. He understood the worth of the new life offered by God in Christ. He knew that: “The glory of the latter shall be greater than that of the former” (Haggai 2, 9).  Paul saw all these revealed to him. So, he remained resolute in his faith. He did this even to the point of “reproducing Christ’s death in himself. This same promise must sustain us to the end.

In today’s Gospel, the Pharisees brought an adulterous woman to Christ. They thought that Christ will condemn her immediately. They thought he will give them the permission to go ahead and stone the woman to death. However, they were wrong, because Christ came to save and not to condemn. They were wrong because, the ways and thoughts of Christ are different from theirs. So, instead of condemning her, Jesus restored her life, and offered her a new chance to live. He simply told her: “Go and sin no more.”

Like this woman, Jesus is always giving us new opportunities in spite of our weaknesses. He knows how vulnerable we are to sin. He knows the forces we contend with every day in our life. His mission is to save us from all of them, and not to condemn us. This is why he says: “I have come that they may have life and have it in full” (Jn 10:10).

Today, we should be encouraged by these words of Jesus “Neither do I condemn you.” The complete forgiveness of Christ is incredible. When he says these words to us, he means them. He means that our negative past is behind us. So, Christ will always fill us with Joy. This is what he will complete for us soon through his death and resurrection.

As we approach the glorious season of Easter, the Lord equally says to us: “Go and sin no more.” This is an injunction we must believe and put in to practice. He promises us a better future and a share in his glory if we remain faithful to this command.

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying: “Let your conscience be your guide.” The conscience is that internal voice that urges us to do what is right and shames us when we do wrong. And we are convinced that if we follow that voice, it will lead us the way we ought to go.

But that is not necessarily true. We can make poor choices in good conscience. Just like a clock, our conscience can sometimes get off and begin to feed us unreliable information. So each of us should give our conscience a regular check-up and when necessary, make corrections.

Today’s Gospel speaks of some men whose consciences need some serious adjustments. They said they wanted Jesus’ opinion on how to deal with a woman caught in adultery. But their real purpose is to ensnare Jesus in controversy. So though they may have been acting in good conscience, they were not acting in good faith.

How about us? Lent is a time to give our consciences a checkup — especially considering all of the hot button issues out there in the public square. To be sure that we are not making poor choices, even if in presumably good conscience.

First — Is your conscience and mine on the right side of the real issues? Often when there is a conflict, people on both sides are convinced of the rightness of their position and can even make what seems to them a good case for their position. We could make a long list: pro-life or pro-choice, immigration reform or build a wall so on so forth.

Applying the golden rule is a first step in helping us decide the rightness or wrongness of an issue. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” 

Second — Are we keeping our conscience warm and friendly? And are we courteous and civil in dealing with people, including those with whom we disagree? Jesus was strong, but he was also warm and kind. He cared about the law, but he cared about people more. He knew that the law was made for man, not man for the law. So while he certainly did not approve of adultery, he sought to redeem rather than to condemn. His heart went out to the woman standing before him in utter humiliation. His first response was to confound and disperse her accusers. Having done that, he turned to the woman and sent her away with these words ringing in her ears: “Nor do I condemn you. You may go. But from now on, avoid this sin.”

What our world needs is more people who are not only conscientious, but also wise, compassionate, understanding and kind. Lent is a time for us to give our conscience a checkup. Are we on the right side of issues, following the golden rule, trying to do what Jesus would do? Are we concerned with matters that really matter, and are we doing so in a way that is merciful and kind? If not, let’s use the rest of this Lent to make the needed corrections.

Fr. A. Francis HGN