Judging With Mercy

Fifth Sunday of Lent
April 3, 2022 — Year C
Readings: Is 43:16-21 / Ps 126 / Phil 3:8-14 / Jn 8:1-11
by Rev. Nixon Negparanon, Pastor

There is a little-known sidelight to the story of the woman taken in adultery.  After the Pharisees dragged her before Jesus for sentencing, and Jesus says, “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her,” a stone comes flying from the crowd.  Jesus looks up, frowns slightly, smiles a little and says, “If you don’t mind, mother, I am only trying to make a point here.”

In one way, this is a good joke because it shows the natural tendency of good people like the Pharisees and the Scribes to throw stones at those they consider sinners.  In other ways it is a bad joke because it tries to paint sinless Mary in the colors of sinful humanity.  The last person who would want to throw a stone at the woman caught in adultery would be the Blessed Virgin Mary, God’s most favored one.  According to the joke, Jesus says He’s trying to make a point here.  So now the question is:  What is the point that Jesus is trying to make?  Why would the Church give us this story for our spiritual nourishment on the last Sunday before Holy Week, when we commemorate the suffering and death of Jesus on our behalf?

The story of the woman caught in adultery had a very curious history in the early Church.  Many ancient Bibles do not have it.  Some have it as part of a different chapter in the Gospel of John.  Still others have it as part of the Gospel of Luke.  Some scholars think that originally this story could have been part of Luke’s Gospel.  Why?  Because it reflects themes that are dear to Luke, such as concern for sinners, interest in women, and the compassion of Jesus.

The fact that it is missing in some early Bibles and found in different locations in others suggest that some early Christian communities had removed this story from the Bible.  When later Christians tried to put it back into the Bible, they were no longer sure of its original location.

So why would anyone want to remove this story from the Bible?  There are people who cannot understand why Jesus would sympathize with a convicted adulterer.  After all, it is decreed in the Bible that such offenders should be put to death.  (Lv 20:10)

Does this not seem like an obstruction of justice?  What do you think?  Perhaps you remember the case of Karla Faye Tucker, a self-confessed repentant murderer who was executed in Texas in February 1998.  Many Christian organizations, including the Vatican, pleaded for her pardon, yet her execution was carried out.  Supporters of the death penalty argued that no one should interfere with the course of justice.  Well, Jesus just did in our gospel today.

There are people who think that compassion and leniency are a sign of weakness.  These are probably the kind of Christians who tried to suppress the story by removing it from the Church’s Bible.  How could Christians read this marvelous story of Jesus’ compassion and still take a hardline stand with regard to correctional services?

The answer lies in how one reads the story.  Some people identify themselves with the Pharisees when they read it.  Their interest is in how to deal with other people who break the law.   Their answer is usually that justice should be allowed to run its due course.

Now you can begin to understand, in the history of the Church, why the medieval Church did not see anything wrong with burning at the stake convicted witches like Joan of Arc.  Didn’t the Bible say that no one who practices sorcery should be allowed to live?  That is the law; that is justice.  Our only duty is to implement it.

But when we read this story, identifying ourselves, not with the Pharisees, but with the woman herself, then we begin to see the story for the good news that it really is.  Like the woman, we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  Like her, we all deserve death.  Why?  Because the scripture says “the wages of sin is death.”  But when Jesus comes into the picture, He overturns our death sentence.  He sets us free with His words of absolution: “Neither do I condemn you.  Go your way and sin no more. “

The story shows how Jesus stands up for sinners before the law.  In doing so, he draws upon Himself the hostility of the hardline officers, who will eventually arrest Him and give Him a taste of their justice.  The Church puts this story before us today, so that we can see ourselves in the sinner woman, whom Jesus saves from sure death, at the risk of attracting death to Himself.

This season of Lent urges us not to be judgmental of others.  We are all sinners and in need of God’s mercy and grace.  Only God has the right to judge people, because He alone is perfect.

Somebody said that God Himself does not propose to judge a person until he’s dead.  So why should we judge him?

Sometimes people ask me, “Father, is it wrong to judge?”  Of course, the answer is: It depends on how you deal with judgment.

There are two ways of judging people:  with compassion or without mercy.  If we judge the person with compassion, just like Jesus did, then we are doing the right thing.  If we judge the person without mercy, without compassion, then we end up like the Scribes and the Pharisees in our gospel today.  They want the woman to be stoned to death.  Or we end up being like the older brother in the parable of the Prodigal Son.  He could not accept his brother for having squandered his parents’ money and property.

Someone asked me yesterday, “Father, what if I tell my children, “Don’t go with a drug addict.’  Am I judging the drug addict?”

Of course, that is a different story.  Your intention is not to judge the drug addict, but to keep your children away from drugs.

Or how about Putin, who killed all these innocent people?  Are we not going to judge him?  Judge him with mercy.  That is what Jesus wants us to do.  Mother Teresa of Calcutta reminds us of this when she said, “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”

So perhaps the question we need to ask ourselves is this:  When do you judge and act like the Pharisees and the Scribes?  Are there times when you judge others because of your biases and prejudices?  Are there times when you judge others even though you only know a little about the person?

If you are a person who judges others, try reflecting on these pieces of advice:

1)         Never judge someone without knowing the whole story.  You may think you understand, but you don’t.

2)        Never judge someone by the opinion of others.  Often, we are victims of this kind of judgment.  We easily listen, especially when the person telling us the judgment or the criticism is someone we trust, or someone who is close to us.

3)        Every single person on the planet has a story.  Don’t judge people before you truly know them.  The truth might surprise you.  Sometimes it is very easy to judge a person by their face, especially if the person’s face is ugly or he looks like a madman.  But we may end up realizing that the person leads a very saintly life.  And there are people who look like saints, but the way they lead their life is the other way around.

4)        Don’t judge a person without fully understanding them.  Just because you and the person don’t agree doesn’t mean you’re right.

We must be conscious that the way we judge things is limited.  Our minds, our intellect, is just limited.  That’s why, in philosophy, only God is an unlimited being.  He’s the only perfect being.  We, created beings, are all limited beings.  Even our thinking is limited; the way we say things; the way we understand things; the way we hear things is limited, and prone to mistakes.  If we are aware of that from the very beginning, then we end up realizing that we are not supposed to judge others right away.  Jesus is telling us in our gospel today to judge others with compassion, with mercy, so that we won’t end up to be condemning.

We may be hounded by remorse for our past sins we have committed, like stealing, giving or accepting bribes, committing abortion, gossiping, making intrigues, or infidelity to one’s spouse.  We feel we must do something more in order to make a balance of our spiritual account sheet.  In short, make reparations.

So, this story is a fitting preparation for Holy Week.  We see Jesus making the ultimate sacrifice to grant us clemency; we who are already sentenced to death by our sins.

As we prepare for Holy Week, let us thank Jesus for His mercy and love.  And let us promise him that we shall commit ourselves to doing exactly as He tells us:  To go and sin no more.

There is Hope

Third Sunday of Lent
March 20, 2022 — Year C
Readings: Ex 3:1-8a, 13-15 / Ps 103 / 1 Cor 10:1-6, 10-12 / Lk 13:1-9
by Rev. Nixon Negparanon, Pastor

Today is the Third Sunday of Lent.  The season of Lent is a wakeup call for all of us, a time to be brutally honest with ourselves, so that we come to know how deeply we depend on God’s mercy and providence. We know that the God we worship and believe in has proven to be loving, forgiving, and saving throughout the history of our Faith.

In today’s gospel, Jesus tells about a fig tree that never bears fruit. So, like any sensible farmer, the owner thinks it’s probably time to get rid of it, simply because it does not bear fruit. But the man who works in the field has a better idea: I’ll give it a big dose of loving care, then we’ll hope to see its branches bend under the weight of juicy figs.

That is exactly what Jesus does for us. He feeds us, not with fertilizer, but with His Own Body and Blood. He invites us to stop boasting and be humble and let Him gently point out what we are doing wrong.

A story is told of an eight-year-old boy named Jimmy, who was acting up. He refused to do what he was told to do and did everything he was told not to do. In desperation, his father finally sent him to bed before dessert was served. Just then, a neighbor dropped in. He always liked Jimmy, and after a while he asked the parents if he could talk to the boy.

With a prayer in his heart, he reminded the lad that his disobedience displeased his parents and made them sad.  It especially displeased God. The boy began to cry.  “What can I do?” The visitor called his parents, who listened with tears in their eyes, as Jimmy told them he was sorry.

What the visitor did for Jimmy, Jesus does for every one of us. That is the meaning of the story Our Lord tells us in our gospel today. The man who planted the fig tree is God the Father. The fig tree means the chosen people of God: you and me. And the vinedresser or the worker in the vineyard is Jesus.

In justice, God the Father decides to cut down the fruitless trees. Christ intercedes. He pleads and prays that we be given more time, that we be given another chance. For the sake of His Son, the Heavenly Father gives us another chance.

This is the story of our life with Christ. We have not borne fruit.  We have not done what we were created to do. We have even done what God told us not to do. We have disobeyed His ten commandments. We have not produced. You can’t blame God for being dissatisfied.

He decides to remove us, but Christ intercedes. He intervenes. Christ steps between us and God and asks for another chance. Pleading for us is one of the principal tasks of Our Lord Jesus Christ. He asks for mercy for us. He gets us another chance. Not only does He beg His Father for forgiveness, Jesus begs for all the good things we need.

That is one reason why every official prayer of the Church, especially in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, ends with a plea: “Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord,” or some variation of this thought.

There is a rather famous painting that shows a young man playing chess with the devil. They are playing for possession of the young man’s soul. The painting portrays the devil as having just made a brilliant move. Chess players who studied the arrangement of the chess pieces in the painting feel immediate sympathy for the young man. He has been put in a hopeless situation. He has been led down a blind alley with no exit.

Paul Charles Morphy, a former world class chess player, became intrigued by the painting. One day, while studying the arrangement of the chess pieces, he saw something that no one else did. Excitedly, he cried out to the young man in the painting, “Don’t give up! You still have an excellent move left.”  There is still hope.

The story fits in beautifully with the point Jesus makes in the parable of the fig tree today. Like the young man in the painting, the fig tree seems lost, then suddenly a ray of hope breaks through. Like the young man in the painting, the tree is not doomed after all; it gets a last minute reprieve. It gets a last minute second chance.

This is an important message for all of us. Because of Jesus, we are never doomed, no matter how bad things seem. Because of Jesus, there is still hope for us, no matter what situation we find ourselves in.  Because of Jesus, there is always one more move left to make, no matter how late in the game it is.

This brings us to the most important point of all. How does all this apply to our lives in a very practical way? All of us, to some extent, are like the young man in the painting and like the fig tree in Jesus’ parable. All of us, at one time or another, have arrived at a point in life when it seemed that we were in a no-win situation. Perhaps some of us are at such a point in our lives right now. Perhaps some situation threatens to engulf us and overwhelm us. Perhaps some relationship threatens to destroy everything we believe in. Perhaps some problem has led us down a blind alley that seems to be a dead end.

It’s right here that today’s gospel has an important message for all of us. Because of Jesus Christ, we are never doomed, no matter how bad things seem. Because of Jesus, we always have one more move left. Because of Jesus, there is still hope for us, no matter what the situation.

This is the lesson that’s contained in today’s scripture.  This is the good news that we celebrate in today’s liturgy. And this is the message that God wants us to carry back into our world to share with others.

Baptism: The Bridge

The Baptism of the Lord
January 9, 2022 – Year C
Readings: Is 42:1-4, 6-7 / Ps 29 / Acts 10:34-38 / Lk 3:15-16, 21-22
by Deacon Barry Welch, Guest Homilist

Today we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord.  It’s a big day.  Sometimes that feast seems to get lost, as we’re coming out of the huge feast of Christmas, but it really is a very, very big day.  Secular (or non-religious) historians say that this is one of two events that happened with certainty with respect to Jesus.  One of those events is the crucifixion of Jesus; historians are pretty certain that that took place.  The other is the Baptism of the Lord.   Secular historians use this event as the basis for their study of the life of Jesus.  So it’s a pretty significant event.  Hallelujah! (more…)

Gratitude and Confidence

Second Sunday of Advent
December 5, 2021 — Year C
Readings: Bar 5:1-9 / Ps 126 / Phil 1:4-6, 8-11 / Lk 3:1-6
by Rev. Nixon Negparanon, Pastor

The season of Advent is a time for us to prepare our hearts for Christmas.  In our gospel today, on this second Sunday of Advent, we hear John the Baptist preparing the people for the coming of Jesus, a voice of one crying out in the wilderness, “Prepare the way of the Lord.  Make his path straight.” (Lk 3:4). We hear these familiar words of John the Baptist calling all people to conversion.

Saint Paul’s letter to the Philippians in our second reading today, reminds us of three wonderful things.  First, Saint Paul reminds us of the joy of the Lord. (more…)

The Beauty of Confessing

Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
September 26, 2021 — Year B
Readings: Nm 11:25-29 / Ps 19 / Jas 5:1-6 / Mk 9:38-43, 45, 47-48
by Rev. Mr. Mark De La Hunt, Permanent Deacon

My hope in today’s homily is that all of us might leave today with one temptation and sin in mind that we are going to root out of our life with an intentional plan of attack that includes changes in our behavior and Jesus’ grace in the Sacrament of Confession. (more…)

What, How, and Why to Preach

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 11, 2021 — Year B
Readings: Am 7:12-15 / Ps 85 / Eph 1:3-14 / Mk 6:7-13
by Rev. Nixon Negparanon, Pastor

There is a story about St. Peter, who, one day was very busy at the gate of Heaven due to the numerous newest arrivals, most of whom were farmers and poor people.  As he was about to admit them, he saw a politician in the group.  He motioned for the man to step forward, then escorted him inside.  As the man entered, a marching band came to meet him, and a red carpet was spread out. (more…)

Forgiven and Forgotten

Fifth Sunday of Lent
March 21, 2021 — Year B
Readings: Jer 31:31-34 / Ps 51 / Heb 5:7-9 / Jn 12:20-33
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

All of us who have attended funerals in the past where there is a eulogy know that the friends and members of the bereaved family will always say all of the good things that the deceased has done. If ever the person being eulogized has done something wrong, all those things are forgiven and forgotten. But of course it is unfortunate that most people only do this to the dead and very seldom to the living. The great news for all of us is that we have a God who forgives and forgets. (more…)

Care for God’s Temple

Third Sunday of Lent
March 7, 2021 — Year B
Readings: Ex 20:1-17 / Ps 19 / 1 Cor 1:22-25 / Jn 2:13-25
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

A story is told about two altar servers who, one Sunday morning, while waiting for the Mass to begin, noticed that the priest was wearing a vestment in a color that was out of the ordinary. One of them said, “It is quite unusual that Father is wearing a pink robe today.” The other corrected him, saying, “It’s rose, not pink.” “How do you know?” the first asked. He answered, “Because Jesus ROSE from the dead; he didn’t PINK from it.” (more…)

How to Get Closer to Jesus

Ash Wednesday
February 17, 2021 — Year B
Readings: Jl 2:12-18 / Ps 51 / 2 Cor 5:20-6:2 / Mt 6:1-6, 16-18
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

Today, Ash Wednesday, as we begin the forty-day season of Lent, we may have at the back of our minds that this is the time we are supposed to give up something. Many, perhaps, will ask, “Is there anything else left that we can still give up?”

Since the beginning of this pandemic, we might feel, and rightfully so, that we have already given up quite a bit in our lives. We gave up shaking hands, gathering for parties in our homes or elsewhere, traveling, and going on vacations. Even in the church, we have given up sitting in our favorite pews and, for a good number of us, due to our health conditions, we are forced to give up being physically present in our liturgical celebration in the church. (more…)

Forgive and Be Forgiven

Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
September 13, 2020 – Year A
Readings: Sir 27:30-28:7 / Ps 103 / Rom 14:7-9 / Mt 18:21-35
by Rev. Mr. Eddie Craig, Permanent Deacon

All of us know that learning never stops. We go to school and learn the basics, but we have to constantly keep up. My kids can’t imagine a world without the internet. It shows how the world has progressed in availability.

But just learning isn’t enough. Memorizing information can only get you so far. You have to process that information and actually learn the concepts. This can also happen with our faith. When we are young children, we learn Bible stories and our prayers. Hopefully, we don’t stop there. We don’t just repeat what we have learned but digest the information and internalize it and learn the lessons it is meant to teach. (more…)