Saturday, March 16, 2013

 

5TH SUNDAY OF LENT – C

MARCH 17, 2013
5TH SUNDAY OF LENT – C

Is 43:16-21 / Ps 130: 1-2. 3-4. 5-6. 7-8 / Phil 3:8-14 / Jn 8:1-11

ISAIAH 43:16-21
Thus says Yahweh, who opened a way through the sea and a path in the mighty waters, who brought down chariots and horses, a whole army of them, and there they lay, never to rise again, snuffed out like a wick. But do not dwell on the past, or remember the things of old. Look, I am doing a new thing: now it springs forth. Do you not see? I am opening up a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. The beasts of the land will honor me, jackals and ostriches, because I give water in the wilderness and rivers in the desert that my chosen people may drink. I have formed this people for myself; they will proclaim my praise.

PHILIPPIANS 3:8-14
Still more, everything seems to me as nothing compared with the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord. For his sake I have let everything fall away and I now consider all as garbage, if instead I may gain Christ. May I be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the Law, but with the righteousness that God gives to those who believe. May I know him and experience the power of his resurrection and share in his sufferings and become like him in his death, and attain through this, God willing, the resurrection from the dead! I do not believe I have already reached the goal, nor do I consider myself perfect, but I press on till I conquer Christ Jesus, as I have already been conquered by him. No, brothers and sisters, I do not claim to have claimed the prize yet. I say only this: forgetting what is behind me, I race forward and run towards the goal, my eyes on the prize to which God has called us from above in Christ Jesus.

JOHN 8:1-11
As for Jesus, he went to the Mount of Olives. At daybreak Jesus appeared in the Temple again. All the people came to him, and he sat down and began to teach them. 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."

REFLECTION
Some people easily condemn and ostracize others. They do so because they feel superior. Two groups of people who fit this type perfectly are the scribes and the Pharisees. They were the leading people during the time of Jesus and they always wanted the respect and admiration of everybody. They were ruthless and unforgiving. Nobody should oppose them. These scribes and Pharisees had a secret grudge against Jesus. They wanted to discredit Jesus probably so that the people would turn away from him.

In the gospel passage, the scribes and the Pharisees, knowing that they had a strong case, brought a woman caught in adultery to Jesus. They wanted to test how Jesus would judge this sinful woman. But Jesus knew what was in their minds. Rather than be trapped by them, Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground, but when they persisted in their questioning, Jesus stood up and said, " Let the one who has no sin be the first to cast a stone." Everybody became silent, and one by one, started to drift away. Then he turned to her and said, "Woman, where did they all go? Has no one condemned you?" "No one, sir," she answered. Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you. You may go. But from now on, avoid this sin."

Sometimes in our desire to prove our point that we are on the right, we use the same tactics. We bring the evidence, or we complain. How many times did we complain that we were treated unfairly? When we were not given a salary increase. Or when children complain to their parents that they listen more to their other brothers and sisters? We can enumerate a lot of complaints to prove our point. We are just like the scribes and the Pharisees. But why do these things happen? It happens because deep in our hearts we are jealous. We are jealous because others are better than we, but we don't want to admit it. The scribes and the Pharisees did not like Jesus because he took the limelight from them. They were a bunch of insecure people.

So as we reflect on this passage, let us be more aware of the way we conduct our lives. Let us be more aware of our sinful actions and pharisaic attitudes. Let us see Jesus as the one who can change our lives, and let us listen to his words. The sacraments are available to us. We should also realize that there is no sin in this world that cannot be forgiven if we repent. God is a loving God and He is always waiting for us to go back to Him.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Chief Samrose Anyaugo
- Ditas dela Paz, Toots Monfort, Andy Lecaros, Virginia Hernandez, Mon Torres, and Fleur Torres
… for the personal intentions of
- Gloria Dorsey
- Andrew Guri
- Dr Ugo Anyaugo, Oge Anyaugo, Barr (Mrs) adaugo Barbara Okoronkwo, Engr. Ifeanyi Matt Anyaugo, Chuba Anyaugo and Ezinne Cordelia Anyaugo
… Birthday: Karen Lim
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Verniemar G. Cudal
- Birthday: Tinggoy Reyes
- Birthday: Yasmin Patrice Ortiga
- Birthday: Patricia Y. Ong
- Wedding Anniversary: Tama & Christina Ng
- In Memoriam (+): Paul Sim Ka Chiong
… for families who are in need of healing
… for world peace and reconciliation.

Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers and for those who need our prayers the most.

Have a good day!

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