APRIL 7, 2019
4:30 PM (SAT), 10:30 AM ORDINARY FORM (ENGLISH) MASSES
A popular TV show that has been around for nearly 25 years is Judge Judy.
While it constitutes a form of Reality TV, Judge Judy does, in fact, adjudicate real-life small claims disputes within a simulated court room.
As Reality TV, both parties receive an appearance fee of around $500, as well as $35 per day during the taping of a show. They also receive airfare and hotel expenses for themselves and their witnesses.
In essence, taking your case to Judge Judy is sort of an all-expense-paid vacation to settle a lawsuit.
In the real world, court can often be stressful, and litigants seek to strategically refute each other’s claims. Yet there are expenses of both time and money involved in pursuing a court case … including the possibility of losing.
Today is the Fifth Sunday of Lent.
In the Gospel, we hear about how “the scribes and the Pharisees [have] brought a woman who had been caught in adultery.” They then ask Jesus to adjudicate the case, and lay out the law for Him to make a decision.
However, the scribes and the Pharisees have no real interest in justice. In reality, they are setting Jesus up in a lose-lose situation.
If Jesus doesn’t embrace the “open and shut” nature of the case – stoning her according to the Law of Moses – then He is showing open disdain for God’s Law … and the scribes and the Pharisees have a reason condemn Him as an apostate – someone who won’t follow the Jewish Law.
On the other hand, if Jesus condemns the woman and allows the crowd to stone her, He will be arrested by the Roman authorities – because the death penalty could only be tried in a Roman civil court.
While the scribes and the Pharisees think they are pretty clever – having set a trap for Jesus – and they think they’ve got it all figured out.
But Jesus turns the table on them by saying:
Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at herThe scribes and the Pharisees certainly thought that they were free from sin. But if they’re the ones to start throwing stones, the Romans will arrest them, and they will be charged with attempted murder.
Instead of being boxed-in by the trap set for Him, Jesus operates outside-the-box and reverses things on those who were looking to trap Him.
We hear of God’s “outside-the-box” thinking being spoken of in the First Reading from the Prophet Isaiah, who in speaking through the prophet says:
[Behold!] I am doing something new!God is admonishing Israel to let go of the past … to let go of their “baggage” … and to allow Him to act in their midst in a new way.
St. Paul, in the Letter to the Philippians, after presenting his qualifications and genealogy – things very much sought-after by Jewish leaders – refers to all of this … his historical “resume” … as
so much rubbishwhen compared to
the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.Monday is our parish Reconciliation Service. There will be about half-a-dozen priests available for confession.
Hopefully in our Lenten reflections we have come to the conclusion that our human condition leaves us far short of the glory of God. That is, no one among us is without sin.
In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we have the opportunity to allow God to do “something new” in our lives. We get to take out the spiritual trash – “so much rubbish” – which we have been holding onto … for how long? and for what reason?
The Sacrament of Reconciliation puts us in the position to “[re-]gain Christ” and “through faith in Christ” to obtain “[our] righteousness from God” … “to know [Christ Jesus] and the power of his resurrection” in our lives and in ourselves – through the power of the Sacrament.
As we approach this altar to receive the Sacred Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ … let us open ourselves up to God’s plan for … “something new” … without baggage … without shame … without guilt.
Let us move forward toward Holy Week and “continue [our] pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God’s upward calling, in Christ Jesus” our Lord.
