Fifth Sunday of Lent Year C, 03/04/2022 Jn 8, 1-11
Before becoming caught up with all the possible shenanigans going on in the Gospel, Paul invites us to put our faith completely in Jesus Christ. He says knowing Jesus Christ means everything to him and that everything else, compared with this, pales into insignificance. Knowing Jesus Christ refers to a relationship with Jesus. It is less about knowledge or understanding but a relationship. Obviously, knowledge and understanding help. When we are inspired by someone it is because they help us see things differently and open up new avenues in what we see and experience. We talk about seeing with eyes of Christ, seeing the way Jesus sees which helps and guides our actions and responses to any situation. In the Gospel Jesus sees a women in a desperate and apparently impossible situation. Rather than be drawn in to an seemingly unwinnable situation, Jesus challenges the motives of the Scribes and Pharisees and, of course, they come up wanting. If, as St Paul suggests, Christ has first place in our lives then we will become more and more aware of Christ’s presence in the people we encounter in the creation with which we have been blessed and in every situation. Before passing judgement on others, we should first of all question our own motives for doing so. In the light of the Gospel, we should also ask ourselves how would Jesus respond to this situation. Neither question is easy to answer but absolutely necessary. Rather than jump to conclusions, Pope Francis says:
I see clearly, that the thing the church needs most today is the ability to heal wounds and to warm the hearts of the faithful; it needs nearness, proximity. I see the church as a field hospital after battle. It is useless to ask a seriously injured person if he has high cholesterol and about the level of his blood sugars! You have to heal his wounds. Then we can talk about everything else. Heal the wounds, heal the wounds…. And you have to start from the ground up.
The most crucial use of knowledge and education is to understand the importance of creating a GOOD HEART. Dalai Lama.
by Fr. Thomas O'BRIEN a.a