Homilies

5th SUNDAY OF LENT: A WOMAN CAUGHT IN ADULTERY

CELEBRITIES WHO ARE CAUGHT in adulterous relationships make news headlines. This is one thing that media would not miss to feast on. In the past months, we heard about an illicit affair of a famous man in the world of sport. Recently, the husband of an Oscar award-winner has been scrutinized because of his flings with another woman. However, this is not only true to famous people. It can also happen to ordinary people. As soon as the adulterous relationship is being known, the tongues in the community would inevitably start wagging.

In our gospel, we heard of scribes and Pharisees bringing a woman, who had been caught in adultery, to Jesus. They expected Jesus to pass harsh judgments on her, and approve of a death penalty for her by stoning. Let us try to reflect on the different and opposing responses of the scribes and Pharisees, on the one hand, and Jesus, on the other, toward this adulterous woman.

First, let us reflect on the behavior of the scribes and Pharisees. They were too resentful and they showed bitterness toward the woman. Well, they may have good intentions in the sense that they expect people to be morally good always, and that every sinful act should be condemned. But scribes and Pharisees have problems with themselves. The first could be their pretensions. They forget that they themselves are also sinners, yet quick to condemn the mistakes of others. Another could be their total identification of the sinner with the sin. In our earlier formative years in the seminary, we were taught to be careful in judging other people. We were told to know how to distinguish the sin and the sinner. That we should condemn the sin, but not the sinner. However, for most people, this is something difficult to do and to understand as well. We can see some of these through the reactions of people toward ‘public” sins committed by some public officials. Their words and their actions toward an alleged, tried, and condemned “public sinner” are no more Christian. That is the result of this tendency to equate sin with the sinner.

Second, let us consider now the responses of Jesus. The first one I saw is one of compassion. This is exactly opposite to the Pharisees’ resentment, bitterness, and hatred. Jesus was very much aware of the human capacity to commit sins and the divine capacity to forgive these sins. This is the reason why he reminded the “righteous” scribes and Pharisees of who they are: “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” And they left the place out of shame. The sinner is obviously in a miserable situation. It is on this context that Jesus showed mercy and compassion toward her. But let us not misinterpret this. Jesus’ compassion and mercy toward the woman is coupled with the instruction, “Go and from now on do not sin anymore.” Compassion toward the sinner should have a concomitant conversion. Compassion can be meaningless without repentance and conversion on the sinner’s part. In the same way, there may be parents who showed compassion toward the miserable situation of their children who are into different vices, but failed to show to the latter the evils of vices. In consrquence, no conversion happened.

This gospel is worth reflecting because I am convinced that this is something we need especially during this season of Lent.

On the one hand, we are reminded that we are not perfect beings. We are a people who are limited, weak, and sinning. Consequently, we should be considerate toward others in their sins. I remember some ten years ago, that when the famous US president was caught in an adulterous relationship, the American media or public was quick to condemn him. But the Europeans did not see things in the same way. In one of the editorials of a European newspaper, it said, “The Americans are making a double standard. They set a high morality standard to their President, and a set a different standard to themselves.” In other words, they want their president to be faithful to his wife, when they themselves are not faithful. On the other, this gospel leads us to reflect on the goodness of our God. That our God is compassionate, and merciful. Therefore, we should always go to him, we should always ask his forgiveness, but with the resolve to change ourselves and try “not to sin anymore.”

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