MY IMAGE BEFORE GOD (HOMILY FOR MONDAY OF THE 5TH WEEK OF LENT

Homily for Monday of the 5th week of Lent 

Daniel 13:1-9,15-17, 19-30, 33-62; Ps.23; John 8:1-11

MY IMAGE BEFORE GOD

It is no longer news that at this time, the Pharisees and the Scribes were looking for an opportunity to kill Jesus. Their aim was not just to end Jesus’ life but also to assassinate his character. If they simply kill , his death may attract pity from those who believe in him such that he may become a hero thereafter. If this happens, the Scribes and the Pharisees will be more haunted at Jesus’ death than when he was physically alive.

Consequently, they needed to put him “in black light” so that his death will attract the approval of even his followers. It is for this reason that they tested him with the issue of the woman caught in the act of adultery. That the woman was caught in the very act means that she cannot enjoy the process of trial; she cannot plead not guilty. Therefore, the question of “are you sure”, does not arise at all.

Obviously, they didn’t bring the woman before Jesus because they were concerned with upholding morality; for they themselves were not morally upright. Should Jesus apply the letter of the Law and condemn the woman, the scribes and the Pharisees will go on with stoning her and Christ will be responsible for her death. This will put Christ at loggerheads with the Roman Authorities who alone had the right to impose capital punishment. At the same time, it will also negate his image of compassionate Messiah. If on the other hand he excuses the woman, he would have been accused of trifling the Mosaic Law.

Jesus was not so much concerned about their trap but about his mission. His mercy is to establish mercy on truth. Our world has become to hypocritical so much so that sinners condemn other sinners when they sin differently or when they are caught sinning. We are not certain if the Scribes and Pharisees and were also guilty of adultery that made them go away one after the other, but we are sure that they were sinners too.

The message of Christ here is simple and direct: the energy we channel into pointing out the faults of others, let us first use it to perfect ourselves. Let us stop exonerating ourselves on the ground that we sin differently or because we have not been caught. The response of Jesus to the people that made them go away shamefully shows that every sin is ultimately an offence against God and no sin can escape God’s notice.

Hence, as the season of Lent heightens, let us contemplate more on the image that God has of us (which is the real us) and not the one-sided image we project to the world. Only those who have perfected their image before God can stand his judgment.