Sunday, April 02, 2006
Monday 5th week of Lent
April 3, 2006
Monday 5th week of Lent - Yr II
DANIEL 13:41C-62
The assembly condemned Susanna to death. But Susanna cried aloud: "O
eternal God, you know what is hidden and are aware of all things before
they come to be: you know that they have testified falsely against me.
Here I am about to die, though I have done none of the things with
which these wicked men have charged me." The Lord heard her prayer. As
she was being led to execution, God stirred up the holy spirit of a
young boy named Daniel, and he cried aloud: "I will have no part in the
death of this woman." All the people turned and asked him, "What is
this you are saying?" He stood in their midst and continued, "Are you
such fools, O children of Israel! To condemn a woman of Israel without
examination and without clear evidence? Return to court, for they have
testified falsely against her." Then all the people returned in haste.
To Daniel the elders said, "Come, sit with us and inform us, since God
has given you the prestige of old age." But he replied, "Separate these
two far from each other that I may examine them." After they were
separated one from the other, he called one of them and said: "How you
have grown evil with age! Now have your past sins come to term: passing
unjust sentences, condemning the innocent, and freeing the guilty,
although the Lord says, 'The innocent and the just you shall not put to
death.' Now, then, if you were a witness, tell me under what tree you
saw them together." "Under a mastic tree," he answered. Daniel replied,
"Your fine lie has cost you your head, for the angel of God shall
receive the sentence from him and split you in two." Putting him to one
side, he ordered the other one to be brought. Daniel said to him,
"Offspring of Canaan, not of Judah, beauty has seduced you, lust has
subverted your conscience. This is how you acted with the daughters of
Israel, and in their fear they yielded to you; but a daughter of Judah
did not tolerate your wickedness. Now, then, tell me under what tree
you surprised them together." "Under an oak," he said. Daniel replied,
"Your fine lie has cost you also your head," for the angel of God waits
with a sword to cut you in two so as to make an end of you both." The
whole assembly cried aloud, blessing God who saves those who hope in
him. They rose up against the two elders, for by their own words Daniel
had convicted them of perjury. According to the law of Moses, they
inflicted on them the penalty they had plotted to impose on their
neighbor: they put them to death. Thus was innocent blood spared that
day.
JOHN 8:1-11
Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. But early in the morning he arrived
again in the temple area, and all the people started coming to him, and
he sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought
a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her stand in the
middle. They said to him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the very
act of committing adultery. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone
such women. So what do you say?" They said this to test him, so that
they could have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and
began to write on the ground with his finger. But when they continued
asking him, he straightened up and said to them, "Let the one among you
who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." Again he bent
down and wrote on the ground. And in response, they went away one by
one, beginning with the elders. So he was left alone with the woman
before him. Then Jesus straightened up and said to her, "Woman, where
are they? Has no one condemned you?" She replied, "No one, sir." Then
Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin
any more."
REFLECTION
The scribes and the Pharisees, looking for a chance to trap Jesus,
thought that they had found a situation that would serve their purpose
perfectly. They thought that they had Jesus caught between the demands
of Mosaic law and the law of the occupying Roman forces. If Jesus
pardoned the woman caught in adultery, how could he claim to be
faithful to the tradition of Moses? On the other hand, if Jesus
advocated stoning her to death, he would be liable to prosecution by
the Romans, who had taken away from the Jews the right to put anyone to
death. There was no way they could lose in this situation.
What the Pharisees did not take into account was Jesus' deep love and
compassion for people. They did not understand his claim that God did
not send his Son into to the world to condemn the world, but to save
it. Jesus knew that every person in the world had been deeply tainted
by sin. Jesus knew that every person was in slavery to sin and
desperately needed the salvation that he came to offer.
Jesus' words to the woman: "Go and do not sin again" should encourage
us. Our desire is often to avoid sin. But we sometimes feel powerless
in rejecting temptation and overcoming sinful patterns. To know that
Jesus believes that we are capable of overcoming sin, through him of
course, should give us great encouragement. He knows our hearts, but he
also knows his transforming power.
Let us open our hearts to Jesus so that we might know him more
intimately, love him more fully and follow him more faithfully. We will
find that the same power that freed Jesus from the grave will
strengthen and free us from our sinful patterns and enable us to walk
faithfully with him.
PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray ...
- for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn.
- for the speedy recovery and spiritual healing of Primitiva Guan Ang
Cu.
- for the speedy recovery of Nieves Pilapil.
- for the personal intentions of Nery Ramos.
- healings for Ian, Fr Steve, Carol, Cindy R, Mary Ann, Charlie J and
Peggy O.
- for the personal intentions of Charles and Cheryl C.
- for the speedy recovery of Rita de los Reyes, personal intentions
of Dr. Cip de los Reyes and Jose delos Reyes.
- for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Jason Roy Pacheco
- Prayer Intention: Maizie Sycip & Josefino Qua
- 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!
--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "DAILY-HOMILY" group.
To subscribe email: dailyhomily@gmail.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to Daily_Homily-unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Daily_Homily
HOME: http://www.stjosephkingston.org/
Feel free to forward this to your frie nds, family and associates!
� 2006 Daily-Homily
-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
