Hope, not Despair, as we Near the Finishing line of Lent!
Isaiah 43:16-21; Philippians 3:8-14; John 8:1-11
With rumors of another economic down-turn, imminent radical nationalism, observable break down in global alliances and looming power shifts, we all need to hear good news, reassurances that the human race is always resilient before any economic, political and moral catastrophes. The message of this Sunday comes in handy: “Hope, not Despair, as we Near the Finishing line of Lent” is the message of the Fifth Sunday of Lent. The good news is that, down memory lane, our generation has the best record in knitting webs of human interactions and connectivities, advancement in science and technology, creation and distribution of wealth and widespread religious consciousness. Our point is that, should we consider all these positive items enumerated, it is categorically true that God is with us, and that there is a brighter future ahead for humanity. Like previous Lenten periods, God always guarantees a Good Friday for himself, but an Easter Sunday for us; it is always the sufferings of Christ that announce a new dawn and beginning for his sinful children. There is always a Mary Magdalene, a celebrated sinner, who comes to the tomb first, and goes ahead to announce that God/Christ is alive – Christus vivit!
On this Fifth Sunday of Lent, we can see the finishing line of Lent; our readings direct our attention and gaze towards the new things to come, the overthrow of bad news and the hope of renewal and novelty. Going by the very first Lent – the actual agony and death of Christ – all hope was lost, the disciples of Jesus dispersed and sought new jobs or returned to old ones. That is not the case today, because of the resurrection that lurks in our future, we are confident and audacious to be hopeful of great things to come. In fact, there will be another Lent besides this one, and we need not die this Lent: it is Jesus who dies for our resurrection, he vouch-saves it for us. It is time to give “hope” a chance by reorienting our searchlight to focus on Christ instead of ourselves and what we are going through. By looking up to Christ, we have the energy and stamina to arrive at the finishing line; the joy that lies in the resurrection of Christ and the meaning of that resurrection for you and I catalyze and quicken our sluggishly plodding steps and steady our weary hands.
The prophecy of Isaiah, our first reading, has this to say to us: “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. . . . for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise” (Isaiah 43:19-21). The fantastic narrative of our first reading is no longer fictionally fantabulous because it gets its credibility from the resurrection of Christ, a story never told before it happened, and still remains inimitable even for a technologically advanced generation like ours. China, Israel, United States, many nations have turned deserts into arable lands, but no one individual or nation has succeeded in raising the dead; yet, Isaiah’s prophecy is being fulfilled before our eyes and much more remains. Not only the resurrection of Christ, but also God raises even a dead soul too from its captivity to sin, and gives it reasons to be hopeful and start life anew!
We’re not inventing the necessity for “hope” to attain the finishing line of Lent. Our second reading offers us an idea on how to enjoy the remaining days of Lent, the hope that should animate us: “But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-13). Lent makes no sense without the hope of the resurrection; too much concentration on the rear-mirror of our sins only leads to a crash. It is the sins of humanity that necessitates a period of Lent, an effort to love God and other human beings. It is disastrous to keep one’s gaze exclusively on the pains of Lent without the joy that the resurrection brings. It is anti-Christian to glorify suffering for its sake, the promise of human resurrection trumps present sufferings and disciplines of Lent.
According to our second reading, we do not have to be perfect or have perfectly observed the disciplines of Lent to look forward hopefully to the resurrection – the joy of Easter. St. Paul tells us to draw strength from Jesus’ victory and perfection and not ours: “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:8-11). It is the grace of God that matters, and making sure that nothing hinders us from taking advantage of it.
The three personages (crowd, Jesus and the woman) of our gospel today help the drama of our personal and collective lives to unfold, but for the better. The forgiveness the woman caught in adultery receives from Christ today anticipates Mary Magdalene’s transformation on the morning of Easter Sunday. In life, we sometimes find ourselves on the side of the woman caught in flagrant act of adultery. Even when we are not caught, deep within us we are conscious of our numerous sins, not adultery/fornication necessarily. In fact, Jesus convicts the accusers of the adulterous woman of other sins besides adultery when he says: “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7). It is not only adultery/fornication that makes us sinners, but every breach of God’s Commandments – every sin against love, including love of sinners! The Scribes and the Pharisees of our gospel, who seek the execution of a sinner, mirror us. Sometimes, it is the hatred we have for sinners that reveals our murderous desire which masquerades as justice and holiness. The Scribes’ and the Pharisees’ seeking the death of an adulterous woman manifest our holier-than-thou attitude, when we play God and condemn sinners. Furthermore, it may not be often and frequent, but we do come to the rescue of sinners, the people we love and consider friends and family, disregarding their wrongdoing and finding excuses for them. We defend people and help those our spirit leads us to help. Indeed, we do play Jesus and show that even ourselves are capable of doing good and showing love in certain circumstances.
The finishing line of Lent emphasizes that side of us that is divine and indomitable by sin, thanks to the power of Jesus’ cross and resurrection. The focus on the finishing line is to recall the moments we’ve done good with the help of God’s grace. The Fifth Sunday of Lent concentrates on what God’s grace is able to achieve in us, should we choose to cooperate with his grace. Our frequent falls and lack of charity are not cogs in the wheels of the progress we make daily, but an impetus to count more on the graces God offers us. Our good news and confidence come from the realization that there is a Jesus who defends sinners, especially adulterers and adulteresses. Every Christian must have a positive and optimistic view of life, up until God himself pronounces judgment either of acquittal or condemnation. For now, all that matters is that our God forgives. With Jesus, there is only one statement – “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more” (John 8:11). What news is greater than this, especially for a condemned sinner on a verge of execution/capital punishment!
Assignment for the Week:
To pray for sinners, and offer somebody who offended you a second chance!
thanks Fr