As
I begin the homily today, I have to say one thing. If you have never done
anything wrong or, perhaps more plausibly, if you have never been caught doing something wrong, this
homily is not for you. As a matter of fact, you might just want to take a
little break in the back of church. For the rest of you, who stayed in your
seats and for myself as well, we all know what it is like to get caught doing
something wrong. It is that horrible sinking sort of feeling where you feel the
world start to swirl and it becomes difficult to think clearly. Maybe you get a
lump in your throat, break out in a cold sweat, or dream of a life in a
far-away island. Oftentimes we feel angry with ourselves because we KNEW it was a bad idea and we did it
anyway OR if we would have listened
to so-and-so this wouldn't have happened. Some people totally melt down and
become emotional. Others get aggressive or try to make excuses for why they
were doing something they shouldn't have. In any and every case, I
think one thing is consistent: getting
caught doing something wrong, whether that is lying, cheating, stealing,
gossiping, or lusting is an awful feeling, one that probably helps us
behave more than we would like to.
Remembering
those terrible experiences in our own lives, prepares us to enter into the
powerful scene of today's gospel. This incident occurred during one of Israel's
great holidays. Thousands of pilgrims had flocked to Jerusalem to celebrate the
Feast Day. Many of them camped on the hillsides outside the city or stayed with
relatives in nearby towns. These kind of living circumstances, combined with
the festive atmosphere, of eating and drinking, lent itself to imprudent
situations in which temptations could easily present themselves. This woman
fell into one of those temptations. And she was caught red-handed. Whoever
caught her - maybe her own husband, or maybe the wife of the man she was
committing adultery with - was furious. They turned her in to the Pharisees,
Israel's moral and legal authorities, known for their strict adherence to the
Law, a law which called for her to be put to death in a brutal way. Can you
imagine how she felt as she was dragged off by this merciless group? Can't you
almost sense her helplessness, her anger at herself, her resignation to the
fact that her time here on earth was almost over because of one bad decision.
But instead of taking her outside the
walls of the city, they bring this woman to Jesus. You see, these Pharisees
aren't so interested in upholding the Mosaic Law nor are they necessarily
outraged at this woman's sin. Rather they see her as a pawn, as the perfect opportunity to trick Jesus into
condemning himself. If Jesus said that the woman should be spared, then they
would say that he was ignoring the Law of Moses, a sacred law which had pride
of place since it was believed to have come from God himself. And if he said
that the Mosaic law should be upheld and that the woman should be stoned, then
they would have him between a rock and a hard place because only the Romans
could pronounce a death sentence in the occupied land of Palestine. So this is
where things stood. A woman kneeling on the ground, humiliated, ashamed of her
guilt, certain of her death, surrounded by the Pharisees who have brought her
to Jesus in a cold, calculated move.
The answer that Christ gives them stops them in
their tracks and I suspect it must have shocked the woman as well. "Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone
at her.” After this perfect response, Jesus bends down and
continues to write in the dust, what we do not know. But we do know that one by one, the Pharisees went away,
starting with the elders, the ones who were the most respected and wise. This
incredible encounter should be much more than a good story to you and me. It
should take our breath away as we journey through these final days of the
Lenten season and approach the sacred events which brought about our salvation.
The confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisees and his treatment of the
woman provide us with plenty to ponder as we contemplate the difference between how God views the sinner
and how humans deal with those who have done wrong.
Our
society is very similar to the Pharisees in this regard. We live in a culture
that allows everything and yet forgives nothing. How often have we become caught up in the sins or faults of other
people, either by gossip or making rash judgments? How often have we been quick to judge without knowing all of the facts
or even rejoiced in the downfall of someone whom we disliked? Haven't we
all held unreasonable expectations for other people while making excuses for
ourselves or expecting the mercy that we had denied to those who failed us? Despite
the coming of Christ and the redemption he brought, our culture still demands an eye for an eye and a
tooth for a tooth. Many Christians, forgetting the mercy they have been shown,
buy into this mentality and become modern-day Pharisees.
Contrast
this with how Jesus treats the woman. After the Pharisees have all left, he
asks her "Woman, where are they?
Has no one condemned you?” When she
answers that no one has condemned her, he says those beautiful words, “Neither
do I condemn you." If anyone could
have condemned her, it would have been Christ. He is God, he can see the
heart, he knows the evils of lust and adultery, and how serious they are. And
yet he shows mercy, compassion, and
forgiveness. Jesus was the only one who had the right to throw the first
stone and he gave up that right so the sinner might have new life and come to
love God in a deeper way. But Jesus
does not ignore the woman's sin; he doesn't say that it was no big deal or not
to worry about it. To do so would be a terrible lack of love for her and her
soul. He tells her that she is
forgiven and she should go and sin no more.
In our own way, we are
all like the woman in today's gospel, full of shame, full of sin, deserving of
condemnation. Each of us relies on the healing power of our Merciful and
Compassionate Lord because all of us
have sinned. Not one of us is worthy to cast the first stone at our
neighbor. Therefore, let us stand before the Lord, not in the hypocritical
arrogance of the Pharisees, but in the humility of the woman who was forgiven.
Let us make regular use of the sacrament of reconciliation where we encounter
the mercy and forgiveness of Christ. And then let us resolve to move forward,
doing our best to go and sin no more.
