DON'T THROW THE FIRST STONE.

FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT. YEAR C.
March 25, 2007.
(First Reading: Isaiah 43:16-21) (Second Reading: Philippians 3:8-14)
Gospel Reading: John 8:1-11)

DON'T THROW
THE FIRST STONE.

Today's gospel reading deals with two sins:
- The sin of the woman who was caught in the act of adultery; and
- The sin of the Pharisees and scribes who bring the woman before the presence of Jesus.

Let us describe each sin:
- The sin of the woman was, of course, adultery. A sin against the unity of the family and against the fidelity between the spouses.

- The sin of the Pharisees and scribes is two-fold:
On the one hand the Pharisees and scribes (those who created confusion and double standards, the hypocrites, the ones who say one things and do the opposite, the ones who preach the truth but practice falsehood) are committing a sin against the unity of the community, against the fidelity between human beings. And,

On the other hand the Pharisees and scribes are plotting to trap and kill an innocent man - Jesus; they wanted "to test Him, so that they could have some charge to bring against Him" (Juan 8:6); they were conspiring against the life of an innocent man. This sin of the Pharisees and scribes is against life.

Now, what is the evidence that the sin has been committed:
- In the case of the woman the evidence is overwhelming, it was proven beyond the reasonable doubt that the woman had committed adultery, she "was caught in the very act of committing adultery" (Juan 8:4).

- In the case of the Pharisees and scribes the evidence is hidden, disguised by the acceptance and complicity of their laws and their world. In the eyes of the peoples there was no evidence, it was not visible.

Our present world also covers up for horrendous sins against human beings.
Our world covers up the divisions among human beings, it covers up the insatiable ambition that leads us to destroy one another - individual against individual, group against group, nation against nation- with the more powerful ones never hesitating to "throw the first stone".

There are sins of destruction, of injustice, of abuse (and even of gross indifference) which are so well disguised under the facade of the law that seldom are they perceived as sins. Let us just mentioned a few instances where hypocrisy covers up horrendous crimes and sins:

- Discrimination that deprives peoples of their human rights, such as is the case of the immigrants laborers who are rejected or killed at border crossings because they are not "documented", or the discrimination in the area of health care where the one who has no access to it may die (In these cases, the equality of all human beings is nothing but a hypocrisy, for, even though the law is said to protect human life, the "protection of our borders" and the "right to earn profits" come before human life)

- Unemployment and underemployment which deprive a person or an entire family of their ability to feed themselves because the law protects the "right" of the wealthy to cut costs and become wealthier by firing workers.

- Abortion which kills millions of unborn children in a society which claims to protect human life.

In other words, our world by its "legal order" and institutionalized divisions among human beings actually destroys human life. And the sin remains without "evidence".

The Lord Jesus gives human beings the opportunity to uncover their sins, not to seek condemnation but to allow them to overcome sin.

Looking at the protagonists in the gospel reading, we may now ask: Who was able to deal with sin, the woman or the Pharisees? Our answer is: The woman!, because she had the courage to remain in the presence of Jesus - "He [Jesus] was left alone with the woman before him" (Juan 8:9). She stood there and heard Jesus tell her; "Neither do I condemn you". She heard Jesus' advice: "... do not sin any more" (Juan 8:10-11). Thus Jesus restores her human dignity, respects her right to leave the past behind(1), to star a new life.

The Pharisees, on the contrary, refused to deal with their sin, they did not have the courage to stand in the presence of Jesus, "they went away one by one" (Juan 8:9); they were not ready to confront their sinfulness; they were concerned that their destructive intentions might be exposed.

In brief, the Pharisees missed the opportunity to resolve their offenses; their life style was too enticing to relinquish it; their power over their world, too attractive to give it up(2). When Jesus asked for them - "Where are they?" - they had already silently vanished.

The Pharisees did not want to give Jesus the opportunity to tell them "I do not condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more" for they were not ready to stop sinning.

May the presence of the Lord in our world be the occasion for us, human beings, to stop throwing the first stone at our fellow human beings.
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Footnotes.
(1) Isaiah (Second reading) writes: "Thus says the Lord, ... Remember not the events of the past, the things of long ago consider not; see, I am doing something new!" (Isaiah 43:18-19). The Lord, who in the past saved his people, continues to save us NOW.
(2) In our modern pharisaical world, the powerful nations possess the monopoly of a military and economic might too overwhelmingly superior and too irresistible to be relinquished.