Bishop Robert Morneau

Keep all your stones in the bag

April 1, Fifth Sunday of Lent

	Questions for reflection: 1. Why is stone throwing so dangerous? 2. Are we made "to be possessed?" 3. What is the Lord asking you to do these last days of Lent?

At the start of Lent, Pope John Paul II offered a special Lenten message. In rereading the Holy Father's homily, several passages struck me as being relevant to this Sunday's scriptures.

"Lent represents for believers the opportune occasion for a profound re-examination of life" (1). One can imagine that the people in today's Gospel must have undergone a rather powerful examination of their lives after encountering the mercy and compassion of Jesus. First, the scribes and Pharisees! They were testing Jesus to see whether or not he would enforce the Mosaic law regarding adultery.

Jesus ingeniously invites the person present who has no sin to throw the first stone. None of us is free from sin. None of us is wise in seeking God's justice. What we need is not self-righteous condemnation of others but a profound self-examination of our own history. It's best to keep all our stones in the bag.

A second excerpt from the Holy Father's message: "How is one to accept the invitation that Jesus addresses to us also in this Lenten Season?" It's never too late to respond to the Lord's call - even in the fifth week of Lent. "How" to respond demands a number of adverbs: totally, wholeheartedly, continuously.

A great example is St. Paul. In writing to the Philippians he describes how the knowledge of Jesus Christ is the supreme good. In gaining Christ through faith, everything else is put in proper perspective. Paul has set his sights on the mystery of the resurrection and nothing in the past will or can prevent him from striving to experience the life of Jesus. Paul gives away his secret of discipleship: "I have indeed been taken possession of by Christ Jesus."

A third comment from the Pope's homily: "A heart reconciled with God and with neighbour is a generous heart." This sounds to me like the message that Isaiah the prophet proclaims as he speaks for God: "Remember not the events of the past, the things of long ago consider not; see, I am doing something new." In Jesus that newness is made present and manifest in the forgiveness of the sin and the call to supreme generosity.

A number of other passages from the Holy Father's message deserve our prayerful attention: "The only way to peace is forgiveness." "The world expects from Christians a consistent witness of communion and solidarity." ". . . forgiveness is one of the highest forms of practicing charity."

Holy Week is almost upon us. We still have time to deepen our life in Christ through prayer, fasting and alms giving. This season of conversion and repentance is a blessed time. In it, Jesus is making something new by "possessing" us with his love and mercy. Deo gratias!

(Bp. Morneau is the auxiliary bishop of the Green Bay Diocese.)