In today’s gospel, Jesus turns the tables on us. Fr. Michael Mohr, SJ, calls us to imitate Jesus in the way he loves others. Based on the readings for the Fifth Sunday of Lent, Year C.
There is no outsmarting Jesus.
I’m Father Michael Mohr, and this is my One Minute Homily.
The enemies of Jesus use the woman caught in adultery as a trap: Either Jesus is to follow the law of Moses and agree to have her stoned, or he exposes himself as a fraud who flouts the law of God. Instead, Jesus “turns the tables” on the crowd through his own proposition: let the one who is without sin throw the first stone.
A common theme of the Gospels is to see that it is Jesus Himself who is the fulfillment of the law. Through his words and actions, Jesus provides us with a more fundamental reminder: all of us are sinners; therefore, we are all in equal need of God’s mercy.
By trusting in his word of mercy and working to imitate his actions, we can hope to live out this supreme law of love and treat others as Jesus does.
