“When
the Lord Delivered Zion from Bondage It was Like a Dream…” (Ps 126)
Homily
Fifth Sunday of Lent Year C:
·
Isa 43:16-21;
·
Ps 126:1-6;
·
Phil
3:8-14
·
John 8:1-11
These
words of the psalmist sum up one of the central themes of today’s reading: the
redeeming power of God 's mercy. The Lord will never abandon his pilgrim Church, of
saint and sinners, including the “woman caught in the very act of committing
adultery,” in today’s gospel passage. He mixes mercy with our miseries/Misericordia
et misera! What a divine forgiving power!!!!
God’s
reassurance never to abandon us, no matter the thickness of our wilderness,
miseries, of our brokenness and struggles seeking redemption, is off course,
traceable to the first reading (Isa43:16-21). Second Isaiah takes us back to
the events of the exodus. God saved and protected Israel in the wilderness.
Encouraging those in exiled, the frustrated, those who had lost their homes,
their relatives, their properties, their temple, their freedom to worship,
their fundamental human right, to the Babylonian military, Isaiah’s says, God “makes
a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters, who brings out chariot and
horse, army and warrior… I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the
desert.”
The
joy and hope of this freedom finds expressions in Psalm 126: An interesting
prayer;
“When the Lord brought back captives from
Zion, it was like a dream, then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our
tongue with great joy. Then they said among the nation, “the Lord has done
great things for them.” The Lord has done great things for us; we were glad.
Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like the torrents in the southern desert. Those
that sow in tears shall reap with joy. Although they go forth weeping, carrying
the seed to be sown, they shall come back rejoicing, carrying their sheaves.”
What
a joyful and a hopeful prayer for Lent, (especially in this year of Mercy) in this year of the Pontificate of Pope Francis, a Pope of Mercy! It
acknowledges God’s watchfulness over us. It acknowledges God’s blessings, his
divine mercies both in the past, and in the present. It appeals for the future,
since we are sinners seeking forgiveness and journeying to that Promised Land!
Look
at the woman in today’s gospel- the figure of a sinner, like any of us! Its
this Gospel that once inspired Pope Francis’ motto as a Bishop, miserando etqua
elegendo(God choses, us he loves, though we are sinners). In the case of the
woman of today’s Gospel, in spite of the insinuation of the Scribes and the
Pharisees, Christ insists she deserves forgiveness. She deserves to live, and
not to be stoned to death. The God of Lent is gracious and merciful! The Christ
of Lent is forgiving. He loves us to the Cross!
Saint
Paul in all his missionary works and imperfection acknowledges this too.
Addressing the church in Philippi, Paul says,
“It
is not that I have already taken hold of it (kingdom of God) or have already
attained perfect maturity, but I continue my pursuit in hope that I may possess
it… Just one thing, forgetting what lies behind, but straining forward to
what lies ahead, I continue my pursuit toward the, goal, the prize of God’s
upward calling, in Christ Jesus (Phil 3:8-14).
All
of us are on a journey- traveling from and through different routes and
wildernesses – to the Promised Land! Sometimes the roads are rough and
dry as the desert. The seas, the captivities, the oceans and the mountains may
seem insurmountable. But it is only the Lord who can make ways for us through
these seeming insurmountable of poverty, wars, sudden loss of our loved ones,
frustration, threats of terrorism, and uncertain socio-political structures in
global nations; family challenges; and faith struggles in the face of
increasing secularism with pluralism of cultures, religions and ideologies!
Whatever
form our captivities, dryness, sins, weaknesses and life challenges may
take, Lent invites us to re-acknowledge God’s power of freedom, his love, his
mercy, his compassion, his forgiveness, his liberation, and
redemption manifested in Christ and his values, for when the Lord
delivered Zion from bondage it was like a dream!
Reflection
Questions
1. How often do we acknowledge, as Christians, that we are
on a journey?
2. How often do we acknowledge the saving presence of Christ
in our life’s and encourage others to do so?
3. In what way have we assisted in delivering our neighbors from
the clutches of their challenges- poverty, illnesses etc?
4. Mixing mercy, love with misery/misera et
misecricordia?
5. Are we forgiving people or judgmental?
The
redeeming Power of Jesus’s Mercy[b]
Homily
Fifth Sunday of Lent Year C:
· Isa 43:16-21;
· Ps
126:1-6;
· Phil 3:8-14
· John
8:1-11
Each
day, when we look around we cannot but notice the power of God in our lives and
in the Church.[ On February 28 2013, when we heard the news of the renunciation
of his petrine office, by our beloved Benedict XVI, the Pope emeritus, we were
on our knees praying for him and for the gift of a new Pope. On that Wednesday
of the Conclave for a new Pope, as we were all anxiously following the
Conclave, God provided us with a new Vicar of Christ, Pope Francis. This
reminds us that the Lord will never abandon his Church, though made up of
saints and sinners. He has always been renewably watching over us, from the
beginnings.]
Today’s
first reading from Isaiah 43:16-21, takes us back to this beginnings.
Israel’s sacred tradition of the exodus from Egypt (Exodus 17:1-7)
is alluded to in this prophecy of Deutero Isaiah. Isaiah prophecies,
“Thus says the Lord, “who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty
waters, who brings out chariot and horse, army and warrior… I will make a way
in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” This testimony is nothing
else, but that of a divine deliverance, of God’s people from Egypt and
from the Babylonian exile. God is constantly watching over us, his people,
and his church, at all times!
But
these two events, the liberation of Israel from Egypt and from Babylonian exile
have something in common. The destination of these freed people is towards the
Promised Land, that Rest, which Katapusis, resurrection, eternal life, that God
had promised his people, as for us, the resurrection which we anticipate at
Easter.
The
joy of this freedom is well expressed in the song of Psalm 126 that just flowed
from our lips, few minutes:
“When
the Lord brought back captives from Zion, it was like a dream, Then our mouth
was filled with laughter, and our tongue with great joy. Then they said among
the nation, “the Lord has done great things for them.” The Lord has done great
things for us; we were glad. Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like the torrents in
the southern desert. Those that sow in tears shall reap with joy. Although they
go forth weeping, carrying the seed to be sown, they shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.”
What
a great Psalm of joy. It acknowledges God’s watchfulness over us. It
acknowledges God’s blessings and his acts of mercies both in the past, and a
present. It appeals for the future, since we are pilgrims, sinners, who still
have a long way to go!
Like
the prodigal son in the last Sunday’s reading who found forgiveness and loving
power of his father, in spite of the objection of his elder brother, the
woman in today’s gospel(John 8:1-11) deserves not to be stoned to death, in
spite of the insinuation of the Scribes and the Pharisees.. This is the text that inspired Pope Francis’
Motto, as an Auxiliary Bishop!
Though
a miserable sinner like us, as Pope Francis insists, she deserves forgiveness,
mercy and miserecordia. She deserves to live, since there was not even a single
fellow sinner (like us) who dared to throw a stone at her. Interestingly too,
she acknowledges Jesus as the Sir, the Lord of love and the Master of
forgiveness. Our Lord is a Lord of mercy- misery with love (miserando atque elegendo)
– of Pope Francis, his Motto!
Paul
also confesses how he considers everything a loss because of the supreme good
of knowing this same forgiving and merciful Christ Jesus as his Lord of love
and the source of eternal life. As an imperfect pilgrim, Paul says,
“It
is not that I have already taken hold of it (kingdom of God) or have already
attained perfect maturity, but I continue my pursuit in hope that I may possess
it… Just one thing, forgetting what lies behind, but straining forward to
what lies ahead, I continue my pursuit toward the ,goal, the prize of God’s
upward calling, in Christ Jesus(Phil 3:8-14).
Each
of us- we are on a journey. Like the woman in today’s Gospel, we need God’s
love and mercy. We are on a journey. We
have not yet gotten there. We are on a metaphorical captivity in our own “Egypt’s”
and “Babylons.” Our common goal is to journey back to God; to continue our
pursuit back to Him, in repentance, love and charity to our neighbors
especially in this period of Lent.
Whatever our own weaknesses and brokenness
or captivities may be, we want to acknowledge the loving, the liberating,
redeeming power of God in the events of the exodus and of the Babylonian exile.
And we want to acknowledge the loving and forgiving gesture of Jesus, the type
extended to the adulterous person in today’s Gospel. And if Jesus could forgive
us, who are we then not to forgive our neighbors. If Jesus could be merciful to
us, we want to be merciful to one another. If Jesus redeems us, we want to
share this redemption with our neighbors.
Reflection
Questions
1. How often do we acknowledge as Christians, that we are on
a journey?
2. How often do we acknowledge the saving, loving, and
forgiving presence of Christ in our life’s challenges and encourage others to
do so?
3. In what way have we assisted in delivering our neighbors from
the clutches of their challenges- poverty, illnesses etc?
4. Mixing mercy, love with misery misecricordia et misera?
5.
What do you think
of Pope Francis’s episcopal motto, Miserando atque elengedo!
6.
Are we forgiving
people or judgmental?
