The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary ( add Daniel 13 ) today challenge us to pause and seek the guidance of the Spirit as we look beyond our first assessment of events to consider the changes that mercy and compassion might bring to the situation.
The reading from the Book of Daniel tells of the false accusations against Susanna.
* [13:1–14:42] The short stories in these two chapters exist now only in Greek and other translations, but probably were first composed in Hebrew or Aramaic. They were never part of the Hebrew-Aramaic Book of Daniel, or of the Hebrew Bible. They are excluded from the Protestant canon of Scripture, but the Catholic Church has always included them among the inspired writings; they existed in the Septuagint, which was used as its Bible by the early church. (Daniel, CHAPTER 13, n.d.)
Psalm 23 praises the Divine Shepherd.
* [Psalm 23] God’s loving care for the psalmist is portrayed under the figures of a shepherd for the flock (Ps 23:1–4) and a host’s generosity toward a guest (Ps 23:5–6). The imagery of both sections is drawn from traditions of the exodus (Is 40:11; 49:10; Jer 31:10). (Psalms, PSALM 23, n.d.)
In the Gospel of John, Jesus encounters the Woman Caught in Adultery.
* [7:53–8:11] The story of the woman caught in adultery is a later insertion here, missing from all early Greek manuscripts. A Western text-type insertion, attested mainly in Old Latin translations, it is found in different places in different manuscripts: here, or after Jn 7:36 or at the end of this gospel, or after Lk 21:38, or at the end of that gospel. There are many non-Johannine features in the language, and there are also many doubtful readings within the passage. The style and motifs are similar to those of Luke, and it fits better with the general situation at the end of Lk 21: but it was probably inserted here because of the allusion to Jer 17:13 (cf. note on Jn 8:6) and the statement, “I do not judge anyone,” in Jn 8:15. The Catholic Church accepts this passage as canonical scripture. (John, CHAPTER 8, n.d.)
Tom Quinn comments that the thread of today’s readings leads us from harsh justice for those who put themselves above the law of God to comforting words for all of us sinful people who experience the peace of God in the face of adversity, and even death.
The crowd confronted Jesus. They asked him, "Should we stone this woman?” Jesus bent down and wrote in the dust as he paused. “Let the one among you who is without sin throw a stone at her.” No one came forth; none was sinless. They all slipped away, leaving the woman with Jesus. Jesus compassionately said to her, “go, and do not sin anymore.” Why would Jesus be so lenient? Jesus saw only a sinner accused by other sinners. His gentle but firm admonition to sin no more was his compassionate way of telling her to change her life. She had met Jesus, who wished not her death, but rather, that she be converted to a new way, and live. (Quinn, 2023)
Don Schwager quotes “Aided by Christ's grace,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"No one of us does anything good unless aided by Christ's grace. What we do badly comes from ourselves; what we do well, we do with the help of God. Therefore, let us give thanks to God who made it possible. And when we do well, let us not insult anyone who does not act in the same way. Let us not extol ourselves above such a person." (excerpt from Commentary on Psalm 93,15) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on John 8:1-11 comments that simply by bending down, Jesus bent the people’s accusations toward peace, their condemnation toward compassion, and their hatred toward mercy. He used that gesture to teach everyone there, and us as well: Don’t let emotions rule. Pause and ask the Spirit to be present. Take a couple of deep breaths and let the peace of God intervene.
This practice of bending down and seeking the Spirit is what Lent is about. This whole season, God is inviting us to pause and ask the Spirit to shift our focus. In the two weeks that remain before Easter, may we all practice bending our hearts toward the peace that only the Lord can give!
“Holy Spirit, make me an instrument of your peace.” (Meditation on John 8:1-11, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the unusual attention to a young man for wisdom in the case of the false accusations of the elders attempting to trap Susanna. The story of the Woman Caught in Adultery points to an author other than John as Friar Jude reminds us of the sin in John’s Gospel is not to accept Jesus. Jesus refocusses the attempt of the scribes and Pharisees to trap Him between the Law and life of the woman by drawing attention to the compassion and mercy of God.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, describes the futility of trying to “fix” ourselves.
This is the genius of what Paul calls “the folly of the cross” (1 Corinthians 1:18), the folly of failure: that it doesn’t give us the satisfaction that our egos want. I don’t know if I am growing. I don’t know if I am “deepening my relationship with Jesus,” as Christians love to say. I hope I am, but any smug satisfaction in that is not going to do me or Jesus any good. But every day, knowing that I have not yet begun to love Jesus? That constant experience of littleness is the Franciscan way.
It’s also the way of one of my other favorite saints, Thérèse of Lisieux (1873–1897). She called it her “Little Way.” She makes it very clear in small examples how it was failing to love every day that kept her on the path of love. She taught that remaining close to Jesus requires “bearing in peace the trial of not pleasing yourself.” [1] Who would have thought that? That is so counterintuitive! Yet what it reveals is that a lot of us Christians have sought—without knowing it—a certain self-satisfaction, a certain smugness. We think, “I’m a good Christian. I go to church on Sunday. I read the Bible. I love Jesus.” (Rohr, 2023)
We might breathe in the Spirit to control the impulse to rush to judgement and dampen the demands of ego in our relationships with others.
References
Daniel, CHAPTER 13. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/daniel/13?1
John, CHAPTER 8. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/8?1
Meditation on John 8:1-11. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/03/27/639369/
Psalms, PSALM 23. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/23?1
Quinn, T. (2023, March 27). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/032723.html
Rohr, R. (2023, March 27). We Learn by Doing It Wrong — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/we-learn-by-doing-it-wrong-2023-03-27/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Go, and Do Not Sin Again. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=mar27
No comments:
Post a Comment