OMELIE / Omelie EN

03 apr 2022

03/04/2022 – 5th Sunday of Lent - year C

03/04/2022 – 5^th Sunday of Lent - year C

Reading 1 IS 43, 16-21 Psalm 125 Reading 2 PHIL 3, 8-14 Gospel JN 8, 1-11

In this Sunday in the season of Lent we are reassured by a very delicate and consoling message. We are sinners, we truly are, but God does not see only the sin, God sees and looks at something else. He detests sin, yes, but He wants to save the sinning man! He wants that we too learn to keep an eye on our future, so the past cannot influence our obedience to God to prevent us from doing good. In fact, in the first reading He Himself through the prophet tells us: «Remember not the events of the past the things of long ago consider not ;see, I am doing something new!».

Reading the story told by the Gospel, I can recall another one similar happened in Muhammad’s life, told and appreciated by his followers as an admirable example of mercy in their “prophet”. They brought him a woman who had been found clearly committing adultery, and they asked him if they were to kill her. He answered: “No, come back to me when the baby will be born”. After nine months, after the birth of the baby, they came back with the woman, but Muhammad said: “Go away and come back in two years when the baby will be done being nursed”. Such a great mercy so far was unseen before! When they came back after two years, the “prophet” finally said: “Now yes, kill her”.

Muhammad has been somehow merciful towards the baby, but not towards the sinful woman.

Jesus is merciful towards the sinful woman, because He is looking at the whole truth: men are all sinners, and therefore all of them would deserve to die. Furthermore, none of them would be able to judge another sinner: they might be able to judge the sin, never the sinner. The latter, if only he could experience love, might be able to become a great Saint. God does not enjoy death, He enjoys the men’s life, even if they are sinners, and therefore He invites them to repent.

Finding Himself in front of the sinful woman Jesus does not forget everyone else’s sin. He has come for everyone, so even those who are now accusing the woman have the need for Him. Sadly they, even if they are compelled to admit they are sinners, do not stop with Jesus, and neither wait for the word of forgiveness from God. Only the woman remains with Jesus to listen to His judgement which is absolving her.

We want to stay with her. We do not want only to admit that we are sinners, but we believe that Jesus can forgive the sin, and therefore we do not leave His presence. Only His mouth can say for us the merciful judgment of God, the judgment which is saving us. Only Jesus lets us get back on our feet and re-establishes our communion with men who, thanks to His word, have stood tall before us and have promised to “not sin any more”.

Jesus is the treasure in front of which we are inclined to consider like junk even the good qualities for which we are expected to be appreciated. To know Him is the true richness of our life. We know Him first of all through “the sharing of his sufferings”: our Lenten sacrifice has this goal and so it eases us into getting to know also His “resurrection from the dead”.

Our knowledge of Jesus will be always followed by humility, as the apostle Saint Paul is giving us an example of in his letter. Let us run towards Him, without judging or condemning anyone, on the contrary, looking for, as much as we can, involving everyone in the joy of this running towards Jesus. He is the only true man who is looking at us with the Father’s merciful eyes and introduces us to Him enriched by His sacrifice. He is the one doing something new with our life: let us not stop looking at the past, but together with Him, let us look forward.