OMELIE / Omelie EN

06 apr 2025

06/04/2025 - 5th Sunday of Lent - year C

06/04/2025 - 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 fifth Sunday of Lent we are comforted by a very gentle and consoling message. We are sinners, we really are, but God does not see sin only, he sees and observes something else as well. He detests sin, yes, but he wants to save the sinful man. He wants us to learn to keep an eye on our future too, in a way to prevent the past from influencing us in obeying him and preventing us from doing good.

The prophet invites us: “Remember not the events of the past, the things of long ago consider not; see, I am doing something new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?”. In the light of this invitation we will understand what today's gospel wants to convey us.

As we read the event narrated in it, we might be reminded of a similar event that occurred in the life of Muhammad, appreciated by his followers as an admirable example of their “prophet's” mercy. They brought him a woman caught in flagrant adultery to ask him if they should kill her. He replied: “No, come back when the child is born”! After the pregnancy, the child having been born, they came back with the woman, but Muhammad said: ‘Come back in two years, when the child is weaned”. They had never seen such great mercy. After two years the “prophet” finally said: ‘Now yes, kill her’.

Muhammad was somehow merciful towards the child, but not towards the sinful woman.

Do not be surprised. Today, even in the so-called Christian world, worse happens. Adultery is seen as an act of love, and even children are killed long before birth.

Let us look at Jesus: he is merciful towards the woman accused of adultery: why? He looks at the whole truth: all men are sinners, and therefore all deserve death. But God does not enjoy death, he enjoys the man's life, even if he is a sinner, and therefore invites him to repent.

Finding himself before the sinful woman, Jesus does not forget the sin of everyone else. He has come for all, so all those who are now accusing and condemning the woman also need him. Unfortunately, although they are forced to admit that they are sinners, they do not stay with Jesus, nor they wait for God's word of forgiveness. Only the woman is left before Jesus to listen to his judgement that justifies her and gives her hope.

We want to pause there with her. We do not just want to admit that we are sinners, but we believe that Jesus can forgive our sin, and so we do not turn away from his presence and we listen to his Word. Only his mouth can express God's merciful judgement for us, the judgement that saves us. Jesus pulls us up back on our feet and puts us in communion with men, who, thanks to his word, have already stood back up before we did and have promised to “not sin anymore”.

Jesus is the treasure in front of which we can regard as rubbish even the great qualities for which we expect to be valued and appreciated.

Knowing him is the true wealth of our life. We come to know him through the “sharing of his sufferings”: the sacrifice of the Lenten fast has this purpose, and thus introduces us to knowing also “the power of his resurrection”. Our knowledge of Jesus will always be sprinkled with humility, as the apostle St Paul gives us as an example in his letter.

Let us run towards him, without judging or condemning anyone, on the contrary, trying, as much as we can, to involve everyone in the joy of this running towards Jesus.

He is the only true man who looks at us with the merciful eyes of the Father and presents us to him, embellished by his sacrifice. He is the only one able to see and take into account our future, totally changed by having experienced his love. In fact, loved by him, our life can become a vessel to bring God's holiness to all. From our changed life he receives testimony and glory: he can be known in a new and true way, patient and merciful, holy and someone who gives holiness. From him we learn how to live true and renewed lives.