Homily for Sunday 5th Sunday of Lent

Readings: Is43:16-21; Phil3:8-14; John 8:1-11

Go and sin no more

We are drawing closer to the week that climaxes the passion, suffering, and death of Jesus.

This is a journey towards our salvation. So Jesus calls on us to be saved through alienation from evil-doing as he commands the woman in the gospel, “go and sin no more”.

Isaiah gives an idea of salvation as an eschatological event. Through the memories of old deeds by the Lord which saved them, the people seem to disregard God’s future promises and rather dwell on the past. They live in the past because now they are captives to other nations but also captives of sin. Here, they recall how good God has been to them through the exodus experience.

However, God calls on them to look to the future and the salvation they will have. Salvation calls for righteous living and adherence to his words and commands. So, they will have this salvation if and only if they leave their old ways and follows the precepts of the Lord.

In the gospel, a woman is found captive of her lustful desires which led her to commit adultery, at the same time captive of the law as she is found against the law and therefore deserves death by stoning.

As this woman is presented to Jesus, the people want her to face the law. However, Jesus, shows her accusers that they are captives of the law who tend to look at the faults of others and execute a judgment on them forgetting their failings in the process. Jesus also redeems the woman from her captive and tells her not to sin anymore.

Jesus comes to save us. He will save us from our captives, especially our slavery to sin. As he does so, he makes a demand of us; Go and sin no more!

As we approach the week of passion, let us all leave our old ways of life behind us and begin anew in following Christ by living sinless lives.

God bless us all.

Blessed Sunday.