Weekly HOMILY for February 21, 2010: Fasten Your Seat Belts

5th Sunday of Lent
Cycle C
March 21, 2010
Our Lady of Grace


Fasten Your Seat Belts

Sometimes at meetings, I use the expression “Fasten your seat belts.”

I say this when I think the air may get a bit turbulent. In other words, my use of this expression means that there will be some challenging, maybe uncomfortable things to talk about.

This morning, I am inclined to say: “Fasten your seat belts.” Today’s gospel story strikes me as packed with lessons.

And naturally, as I often like to do, I see three lessons packed into this story. So, “Fasten your seat belts.”


Sexual and Social Morality

First, the story centers on a woman who is accused of adultery.

This leads me to recall our Catholic teaching on sexuality. Our Church teaches that sexuality is a gift from God and is sacred.

The Church’s understanding is that sexuality expresses something within us, perhaps we would say something deep, something even at the core of who we are. Sexual expression is powerful because it affects who we are and who others are.

And so, our teaching is that sexual expression is to be reserved to the committed relationship of marriage. It is in marriage that our human sexuality finds its true and authentic and fullest meaning.

At the same time, our Catholic morality is not limited to sexual morality. Especially in the last forty years or so, we are also clear that there is a social morality.

There is a Catholic social teaching that guides us in our relationship with society. For example, this social teaching emphasizes the priority of the poor who lack the basics for human life.

It emphasizes our acting for the common good of all, even when that may not be best for my own interests. Our Catholic social teaching, like our sexual morality, is to form our conscience and guide us in what we do.


Men and Women

The second lesson I see in this story also concerns the woman.

Some people, actually they are religious leaders, bring this woman to Jesus because she was caught in adultery. But they do not bring her partner, the man.

In the culture of that day, women were treated as inferior, as not equal to men, and only women were severely punished for this sin. So, the woman was blamed for this and the man got off the hook.

This leads me to think about our Church. Our Church allows only men to be ordained to the priesthood.

Our teaching is that this is not an issue of equality or inequality, but rather a revelation of Jesus. Our teaching is that Jesus ordered priesthood in this way and we need to adhere to that.

At the same time, ministry in the Church flourishes only when both men and women are engaged in it. Right in this parish, women are engaged in all ministries – education, liturgy, administration, outreach, and on it goes.

They are gifted and essential ministers and leaders in our Church and our parish. We need to be in forefront of respect for the dignity and rights of women within our Church and in our society in general.


Exclude and Include

The third and last lesson I see here concerns the religious leaders.

They want Jesus’ approval to stone her to death. This is the most radical way of rejecting, putting down, and excluding her.

The only problem – Jesus will not go along with it. Instead, Jesus invites those who are sinless to throw the first stones.

In this way, he confronts them with the truth that we are all human and sinful. So to these religious leaders, Jesus in effect says: “Get off it!”

He accepts and includes this woman just as he does with others – like having dinner with tax collectors, or like including Judas who betrayed him and Peter who denied him at the Last Supper – the first First Communion Mass. There’s a sharp point here for us.

It is not ours to reject, to put down, to exclude others who are sinful. When we as individuals or as today’s religious leaders do that, we are not following Jesus’ way. (I’m sure you’re aware you might get some “feedback” on this statement.)

Instead of all that, we are to follow Jesus’ way of accepting and including and then respectfully, gently, inviting others to grow and embrace his way more fully. This is not the way of feel-good self-righteousness, but it is the way of being right with God.


Conclusion

So, I see some challenging lessons here today and that’s why at least I felt it was a good idea to “Fasten our seat belts.”