Monday, March 23, 2015
5th Week of Lent
1st Reading: Dn 13:1–9, 15–17, 19–30, 33–64
Gospel: Jn 8:1–11
(…) Then the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees brought in a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They made her stand in front of everyone. “Master,” they said, “this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now the Law of Moses orders that such women be stoned to death; but you, what do you say?” They said this to test Jesus, in order to have some charge against him.
Jesus bent down and started writing on the ground with his finger. And as they continued to ask him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let anyone among you who has no sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” And he bent down again, writing on the ground.
As a result of these words, they went away, one by one, starting with the elders, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Then Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She replied, “No one.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go away and don’t sin again.”
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the Assimilated Life Experience)
We have five fingers on each hand named pinky, ring, tall, pointer and thumb. Each time we blame somebody and point a finger at him, we point three fingers at ourselves, namely, the pinky, the ring, and the tall fingers. Notice that our thumb neither points at the person we are accusing nor at ourselves. Probably it is pointing at the persons joining us in maligning the accused. When we judge somebody the judgment is on us and on all our cohorts.
The sinful woman in today’s Gospel is already prejudged. Her accusers were armed with the Jewish tradition establishing the guilt of a person by the accusation of two witnesses. There were not just two witnesses but a herd of them. The charge is serious, adultery being a major crime. The case is strong because she is caught in the act. They are leaving Jesus with no option but confirm their verdict.
But compassion always finds a way. Jesus’ finger is like the nozzle of the gun of a conscientious firearms holder pointed to the ground. We do not know what Jesus scribbles on the ground. But the picture of him bowing low and touching the ground with his pointer finger is strong reminder to the woman’s accusers that they are dust and to dust they shall return. It is perhaps Jesus’ way of inviting the woman’s accusers to stay grounded and so feel compassion for her.
They leave, not out of compassion for the woman but out of fear that Jesus might jot down on the ground, using his accusing finger, all the sins they did in secret. – Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., DM. Email: [email protected]. Website: www.frdan.org.
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