Homily for the 5th Sunday of Lent, April 3, 2022. Gospel of St. John 8:1-11. Theme: Renovated Not Condemned
As I was praying over today’s gospel asking the Holy Spirit for some insight, I suddenly found myself thinking about the home improvement kind of shows that I like to watch. The designers and carpenters on those shows are amazing fixer-uppers with a real gift of being able to look beyond the mess and destruction of a run-down house and seeing its possibilities. They can tell if a house should be disregarded and condemned or if it has the possibility of being renovated and restored. I know that’s a pretty random thought to have while praying, but I think you’ll see that there’s actually a connection after all!
It dawned on me that those shows can be a good metaphor to understand today’s Gospel. Jesus, the Carpenter from Nazareth, is the Great Fixer-Upper who looks beyond the outside street appeal of who we are, or who we pretend to be, and peers into our very depths. He sees down to the bare bones of our structure. He knows that many of us are like houses that have endured quite a lot of wear and tear over the years; terribly ignored, wrongfully mistreated and shamefully broken down, with only the structure remaining salvageable. Others may not have had it so bad but still need remodeling to become like new again. But all of us - without exception - need some kind of work to be done, so that we can become the persons God created us to be and to fully enjoy the life God has given us to live.
Jesus came to planet Earth precisely to heal what is sick, to drive out what is evil, and to fix what is broken. He has both a burning desire and the divine power to do this for us, if we allow Him. So, how can we let Jesus be this Master Carpenter and bring about a beautiful transformation?
I think we can get a good idea by looking at the woman caught in adultery and following her example. Like her, we must personally encounter Jesus and own up to what we have done, to what we have allowed ourselves to become. And then humbly follow his words that will lead us to a better life, a happier heart, a more peaceful and serene conscience. He says to her and to us, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.” Now that’s a tall order but we can do it with and in Christ through prayer, Confession and the Eucharist.
Prayer is simply talking with Jesus from the heart and speaking plainly about what’s on our minds, what’s burdening our souls, what we are struggling with in our lives. We spend some time reflectively reading his Word to us in the Gospels where he gives us light and direction. We ask for the spiritual strength to live his Word and allow it to transform us from the inside out.
This commitment to daily prayer will lead us to the healing grace of Confession. When the walls of a house are opened up you never know what you’re going to find behind them. Similarly, when we tear down the walls we have built up in our lives and open our hearts to Christ, we are bound to discover behaviors and attitudes that need to be fixed, rewired and repaired. We bring these hurts and wounds to the merciful heart of Jesus in prayer, and if they are more serious sins we admit them in Confession. By doing so we will grow, over time, in the healing and freedom that he offers us.
Above all we must keep coming to Christ who is our holy and life-giving power-source in the Eucharist. As Pope Francis teaches us Holy Communion is not a gold star for perfect conduct offered to saintly people. Quite the opposite, this awesome Sacrament of Christ’s Risen Body and Blood is medicine for the sick, healing balm for the wounded, and strength for the weak. During this most intimate encounter with him, we hand over and surrender all of our pain, all of our brokenness, all our sins. He will know what to do with them. We simply need to trust.
Since we see from today’s story how compassionate and forgiving Christ is, why then, do we continue to hold onto our sins instead of accepting his forgiveness? And when we are tempted to judge and condemn others, I think we need to hear Jesus saying to us something similar to what he said to the accusers of that woman: "Let those of you who are without sin be the first to judge or condemn another." And then hopefully we will turn away from judging and condemning others, placing their brokenness and ours into the tender care of the One who came to save us all.
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