FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT – CYCLE C – 2022
INTRODUCTION
v
In the 5th
Sunday of Lent, Jesus continues to show through his actions the mercy of his Father
and our Father.
v
Today it is a
woman, who has been caught in the act of adultery, who experiences Jesus’ kindness
and respect toward her.
FIRST READING Is 43:16-21
·
This Reading is
taken from the Second Isaiah or Deutero-Isaiah, which goes from chapter 40 to 55 of the book of Isaiah.
·
God speaks to
his people and introduces himself as the author of the exodus from Egypt
o
He is the one
who opens a way in the sea
o
And a road
through the raging waters
o
Who throws off
horse and rider who end up being like a quenched wick.
·
But now think
of the past only to look forward to the present and to the future.
o
I am doing
something new
o
It springs forth,
do you not see it?
o
I open a way in
the desert, now it is not in the sea, but in the desert.
o
In the dry
lands I open rivers.
o
The wild
animals look for me,
o
Because I put
water in the desert,
o
For my chosen
people to drink
o
The people I
have formed for me to praise me and make others praise me too.
·
These words are
addressed also to us
o
Do not stop in
the past, or in its sufferings, or in the great things God has done for you.
o
May the memories
be only to open your eyes and see the present around you, and see the wonderful
things God does for you, in your family, in your society, in your church, in
your place of work, in the youth who blooms around you, see and discover…
RESPONSORIAL
PSALM. Ps 126
R. (3) The Lord has done great things
for us; we are filled with joy.When the LORD brought back the captives
of Zion,
we were like men dreaming.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done great things
for us; we are filled with joy.
Then they said among the nations,
“The LORD has done great things for them.”
The LORD has done great things for us;
we are glad indeed.
R. The Lord has done great things
for us; we are filled with joy.
Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like the torrents in the southern desert.
Those that sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done great things
for us; we are filled with joy.
Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.
R. The Lord has done great things
for us; we are filled with joy.
Beautiful psalm
that describes and paints, in a poetic way, the difference between sowing and
ripping.
The sowing of
the earth, and of our heart too, is always difficult, full of uncertainties,
not knowing the outcome, with the danger of storms and losing the harvest.
The harvest is
always a time of great joy, winter is gone as well as the difficulties, now it is
time to rejoice and to collect the fruits.
This is true in
our life at all levels: material and spiritual.
SECOND READING PHL 3:8-14
Ø
Paul speaks to
his dearest community, the community of Philippi.
Ø
He considers
everything as waste, the only thing that is worth is the knowledge of Christ,
his Lord, for whom he has accepted to lose everything.
Ø
Because he only
wants to be with him, not being found just in his own eyes, not being righteous
according to the law, but through faith-love-trust in Christ.
Ø
Thus, to know
him and the power of his resurrection.
Ø
In his
encounter with Christ, Paul has discovered the treasure of the risen Christ. The
law was only a preparation to encounter the
Lord.
Ø
He does not
consider that he has reached the goal, but he continues. According to the words
of the first reading, he does not look behind to the past, but to the future,
to his dream, to be able to reach the reward, that is Christ Jesus himself.
Ø
Is Christ Jesus
our only treasure? Do we look at the future with the desire to be with the Lord
Jesus?
GOSPEL John 8:1-11
The frame of
this narrative of John is the Temple, where Jesus returns every day during the
week preceding his death. At night, he goes to the Mount of Olives to pray, and
he stays probably at his friends’ home (Lazarus, Martha and Mary.)
He is already
in the Temple, people are listening to him and asking him about the kingdom,
the good news, the Father, and he teaches them tirelessly.
While he is
still speaking some scribes and Pharisees, come dragging a woman caught in the
act of adultery.
o
Estrange
situation and accusation, adultery is always between two: a man and a woman, it
is never a question of only one person.
o
They explain
the situation to Jesus, their intentions are not right, they do not care either
about the woman or about what she was doing. They do not care either about the
sin, as an offense to God, they only want to use this woman to be able to
accuse and condemn Jesus.
o
Jesus writes
with his finger on the ground. The finger of God, in the exodus the finger of
God wrote the commandments on the stones.
§
The
commandments, which God had first written in the human heart.
§
To teach us how
to be sisters and brothers, to recognize that we are all equals: sinners, poor,
in need of pardon from the Father of all.
§
Jesus, our eldest
brother; the only son of the Father; the beloved son, God like the Father, writes
on the sand. What does he
write? We will never know. We will imagine
many things, but they will be only that, imaginations.
§
The woman’s
accusers continue to annoy Jesus with their demands of a sentence, trembling, the
woman also waits for his words.
§
She has
probably heard about the rabbi Joshua, the good man who listens to all, but she
has committed a great sin, she is dirty, impure, and this is a just and holy
man, he will probably condemn her.
o
Now something
surprising happens, Jesus tells them that the one without sin may throw the
first stone to her.
§
We must give credit
to them, to their honesty; they put the stones down and leave one by one,
beginning by the eldest. At least they recognize themselves as sinners.
o
Jesus and the
woman are left alone, face to face, God and the sinner.
§
Woman, where
are your accusers? No one has condemned you?
§
Nobody, Sir.
§
Neither do I
condemn you, go, do not sin anymore. Jesus has not come to condemn but to save,
to restore, to seek what was lost. His word, his gaze, his respect for this
woman probably helped her not to sin anymore, to seek for the true love and not
for the false love.
o
We are all
called to make Jesus’ salvation reach all, and avoid our condemnations which do
not help anyone, because they do not come from love but from our falsehood and
sin.
o
We are all
called to see each other as brothers and sisters, to feel sorry for our sins
and for the sins of others, to give up our life as Christ gave up his life for
the salvation of all, and thus make the kingdom of the Father present among us,
little by little, person to person, one by one...
CLARETIAN CORNER
MOTHER FOUNDRESS
On a feast day of St. Peter and St. Paul, after holy communion I went to
the gallery, so as to be able to talk alone with my God about the work He has
entrusted me and the great difficulties I saw in its execution. I did not dare
to tell our Lord what was impossible for me, because I always had firm, by the
grace of God, the certitude of the power of God in his creatures. But in those
days our Lord permitted that I forget all the promises that his divine Majesty
had given me; I saw nothing but human causes like a strong and invisibly army.
I saw my littleness and poverty as a person. I was so confused, that even to
talk about it to our Lord, I was ashamed for I did not see any talent in me,
not a natural talent nor one by grace in order to cooperate with the designs of God our Lord. So, bathed in tears I could not find other
words but: How can this be Lord?” I was also very oppressed to see myself all
alone in a work of so great importance that the more I thought in my
nothingness, the more his Dive Majesty would show me clearly the purpose of its
exact fulfillment and the glory that
would redound to God our Lord for the good of the church. Because of this I had
much courage to suffer, for our Lord gave me a great love for my holy mother
church, that if the cost of my life (Even if I had one thousand lives) with all
the love of my heart, even if I had to go to the end of the world, I would
suffer to restore her peace, the most cruel torments.[1]
FATHER FOUNDER
In addition to
attending these morning and afternoon services, I used to enter the church at
nightfall, when hardly anyone was there, and talk alone with our Lord. With
great faith, trust, and love, I would speak to God, my good Father. A thousand
times over I would offer myself to his service. I wanted to become a priest so
that I could dedicate myself to his service day and night. I remember telling
Him, "Humanly speaking, I see no hope, but you have the power to make it happen,
if you will." Then, with total confidence, I would leave it all in God's
hands, trusting Him to do whatever had to be done: which He did, as I shall say
later.[2]
