There are so many stories in the Bible where elders are called in to decide whether or not someone is innocent or guilty. The first reading today gives us the story of Susanna who is unjustly accused of something she didn’t do and thankfully justice prevailed. Then, in the Gospel, we hear Jesus saying He does not judge, but if He were to judge, His judgement would be valid. 

Now, of course, God does judge us, similar to the way the elders did in the Old Testament. But the point that Jesus is making here is that His judgements are always just. Human beings can fail and make an improper judgement, but God sees our hearts and furthermore wants to welcome us into His family with His love and mercy. 

One of the names that we have for Satan is the accuser. He is always trying to put us down and make us feel worthless. He is never just in what he does but always has ulterior motives. He wants us to feel miserable and keep us there. 

In direct contrast to that we have Christ who wants to meet us where we’re at and lovingly walk with us so we don’t stay in despair. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the Church lined up these two readings for today. In the first reading, we see the mercy of men who thankfully were inspired by the Holy Spirit to make the correct judgement. In the Gospel, we see Jesus talking about His perfect justice that can never be questioned. 

I don’t know about you but I do not want to be without hope because I have believed the lies of the accuser. I also don’t want to be put into a situation where someone judges me who is fallible and could get it wrong. I want to place my hope in the King of Kings, Who promises that His justice is perfect and that He is also perfect in mercy. Let’s take some time during this season of Lent to focus on the sins we have committed, ask for forgiveness, and intentionally put ourselves in the arms of Jesus who will judge us justly by the way we love.

From all of us here at Diocesan, God bless!

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Hay muchas historias en la Biblia en las que se llama a los ancianos para que decidan si alguien es inocente o culpable. La primera lectura de hoy nos cuenta la historia de Susana, que es acusada injustamente de algo que no hizo y, afortunadamente, la justicia prevaleció. Luego, en el Evangelio, escuchamos a Jesús decir que no juzga, pero que si lo hiciera, su juicio sería válido.

Por supuesto, Dios nos juzga, de forma semejante a como lo hacían los ancianos en el Antiguo Testamento. Pero el punto que Jesús está planteando aquí es que sus juicios son siempre justos. Los seres humanos pueden fallar y emitir un juicio incorrecto, pero Dios ve nuestros corazones y, además, quiere darnos la bienvenida a su familia con su amor y misericordia.

Uno de los nombres que tenemos para Satanás es el acusador. Siempre está tratando de humillarnos y hacernos sentir inútiles. Nunca es justo en lo que hace, sino que siempre tiene motivos ocultos. Quiere hacernos sentir miserables y mantenernos así.

En contraste directo con eso, tenemos a Cristo, quien quiere encontrarse con nosotros donde estemos y caminar con amor con nosotros para que no permanezcamos en la desesperación. No creo que sea una coincidencia que la Iglesia haya alineado estas dos lecturas para hoy. En la primera lectura, vemos la misericordia de los hombres que, afortunadamente, fueron inspirados por el Espíritu Santo para emitir un juicio correcto. En el Evangelio, vemos a Jesús hablando de su justicia perfecta que nunca puede ser cuestionada.

No sé qué piensan ustedes, pero yo no quiero estar sin esperanza porque he creído las mentiras del acusador. Tampoco quiero estar en una situación donde alguien falible podría equivocarse cuando me juzgue. Quiero poner mi esperanza en el Rey de reyes, que promete que su justicia es perfecta y que también es perfecto en misericordia. Tomemos un tiempo durante esta temporada de Cuaresma para centrarnos en los pecados que hemos cometido, pedir perdón y ponernos intencionalmente en los brazos de Jesús, que nos juzgará con justicia por la forma en que amamos.

De parte de todos nosotros aquí en Diocesan, ¡Dios los bendiga!

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Jesus is infinitely merciful. We cannot out-sin God’s mercy. He longs for us to return to Him with our whole heart, for He is gracious and merciful. But this does not mean it doesn’t matter what we do. Because Jesus is also perfectly just, everything we do matters. In God, justice reigns, and we are confident that we will receive from Him what is just. In today’s Gospel, we see this balance of justice and mercy.

Why does Jesus refuse to condemn the woman who is caught in the very act of adultery (a sin so serious that the punishment is being stoned to death)? Isn’t her activity condemnable? Isn’t there a commandment against adultery? Yes, there is. So is Jesus saying the commandment doesn’t matter? Certainly not.

While Jesus does not condemn her, He does not condone her actions; he does not say that her sin does not matter and she can just go on as she has been. He deals a “one-two” punch to the enemies of her soul: sin and the unforgiving judgment of others. And then He calls her in freedom to walk a new way.

First, He pauses to point out the hypocrisy of the Pharisees who seem to revel in their self-righteous accusation and eagerness to inflict punishment for offenses. No one has the right to condemn the woman for her sin, because none of them are without sin themselves – and yet, they publicly accuse others and seem to delight in discovering and pointing out the woman’s obvious sin because it makes them feel superior. Without love, they have no right to point out the transgressions of others. There is no compassion or desire for the other’s good in their response to the woman. Under Jesus’ penetrating gaze, their own guilt sends them away from her.

Next, Jesus turns his attention fully to the woman, whose life was hanging in the balance and at the whim of the judgmental crowd publicly accusing her. He does not ignore her sin, but with great love and desire for her good, He forgives her, saying, “Neither do I condemn you.” And then, as Love always does, Jesus invites her to a fuller life beyond sin. He has set her free to walk in newness of life, and with great compassion He calls her to use this freedom to choose good: “Go, and from now on do not sin any more.”

God’s forgiveness is spectacularly freeing and life-changing. But in order to receive it, we must acknowledge our sin and be filled with desire to walk away from it, and all that leads us into it. We must freely choose to reject sin and walk with HIM.

This is what we have been called to learn anew during Lent: that God’s mercy is infinite, that we must open ourselves fully to His forgiveness and love, and be determined to walk in the newness of life Jesus made possible through His Passion and Death on the Cross.

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Jesús es infinitamente misericordioso. No podemos excluirnos de la misericordia de Dios por la cantidad de pecados que cometemos. Anhela que regresemos a Él con todo el corazón, porque es misericordioso y lleno de gracia. Pero esto no significa que no importe lo que hagamos. Como Jesús también es perfectamente justo, todo lo que hacemos importa. En Dios reina la justicia, y confiamos en que recibiremos de Él lo que es justo. En el Evangelio de hoy, vemos este equilibrio de la justicia con la misericordia.

¿Por qué Jesús se niega a condenar a la mujer sorprendida en el mismo acto de adulterio (un pecado tan grave que el castigo era ser apedreada hasta la muerte)? ¿No es condenable su comportamiento? ¿No hay un mandamiento contra el adulterio? Sí, lo hay. Entonces, ¿está diciendo Jesús que el mandamiento no importa? Claro que no.

Si bien Jesús no la condena, tampoco aprueba sus acciones; no dice que su pecado no importa y que puede seguir en lo mismo. Jesús asesta un doble golpe a los enemigos de su alma: el pecado y el juicio implacable de los demás. Y luego la llama a la libertad para que recorra un nuevo camino.

Primero, hace una pausa para señalar la hipocresía de los fariseos, que parecen deleitarse en sus acusaciones moralistas y en su afán por infligir castigo por las ofensas. Nadie tiene derecho a condenar a la mujer por su pecado, porque ninguno de ellos está libre de pecado. Sin embargo, acusan públicamente a los demás y parecen deleitarse en descubrir y señalar el pecado obvio de la mujer porque eso los hace sentir superiores. Sin amor, no tienen derecho a señalar las transgresiones de los demás. No hay compasión ni deseo por el bien del otro en su respuesta a la mujer. Bajo la mirada penetrante de Jesús, su propia culpa los aleja de ella.

A continuación, Jesús dirige su atención completamente a la mujer, cuya vida pendía de un hilo y estaba al antojo de la multitud que la acusaba públicamente y la juzgaba. No ignora su pecado, sino que con gran amor y deseo por su bien, la perdona, diciendo: “Tampoco yo te condeno”. Y luego, como siempre lo hace el Amor, Jesús la invita a una vida más plena más allá del pecado. La ha liberado para caminar en una nueva vida, y con gran compasión la llama a utilizar esta libertad para elegir el bien: “Vete, y ya no vuelvas a pecar”.

El perdón de Dios es espectacularmente liberador y cambia la vida. Pero para recibirlo, debemos reconocer nuestro pecado y estar llenos del deseo de alejarnos de él, y de todo lo que nos lleva a él. Debemos elegir libremente rechazar el pecado y caminar con ÉL.

Esto es lo que hemos sido llamados a aprender de nuevo durante la Cuaresma: que la misericordia de Dios es infinita, que debemos abrirnos completamente a Su perdón y amor, y estar decididos a caminar en la vida nueva que Jesús hizo posible a través de Su Pasión y Muerte en la Cruz.

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When the disciples are tasked with feeding five thousand men across from the Sea of Galilee, they are understandably dumbfounded: How can they feed so large a crowd with no food of their own, not much money, and five barley loaves and two fish? Yet, they do not bat an eye when Jesus tells them to prepare the crowd for a meal. Instead of relying on their own intuition and arguing with Jesus about the absurdity of feeding over five thousand people with such a small amount of food, they simply do what He says, knowing that He will provide for His people.

The disciples understand our Gospel acclamation, that “one does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). They have no idea how to approach the situation, but they have learned to trust in Jesus’ direction, even for matters of physical survival. His direction is better than anything they could come up with, even if it seems absurd at the time.

This outlook complements that of the psalmist, whose sole aim is to dwell in the house of the Lord rather than in other, more familiar places. And in our First Reading, we see Gamaliel saying something similar: “If [the gospel message] comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God” (Acts 5:39). He does not want to resist something that might come from God, even if he does not understand it.

Gamaliel, the psalmist, and the disciples see the point of remaining fixed on God, trusting in His direction even when it is difficult. They know that if God ordains something, guiding it with His hand, it cannot fail. If He gives direction, it will not be followed in vain. To dwell in His house is better than all else.

This is a profound trust that we need to adopt in our own lives. There is a subtle self-reliance that creeps in when we spend too much time seeking security by our own efforts alone. We plan far ahead, without consulting God concerning what He wants for our lives and for our loved ones. Inevitably, our best laid plans fail, and we make new ones, which fare no better. If we are not used to consulting God and trusting that He truly has things under control, we rely on worldly methods to maintain security, prestige, and wealth, so that we can have everything necessary for a good and peaceful life. Seeking easy steps to success, we look to social media and popular wisdom to solve our problems. If these solutions are divorced from spirituality, they never bring us the peace and security we seek.

Ultimately, we need to trust in what God has already told us through readings such as these. Even and especially when things look confusing and hopeless, God is in control. We must listen to Him and seek His will in these moments through prayer, Scripture, the sacraments, and spiritual direction, trusting in what He tells us, even if we cannot understand the reasons for it. We cannot expect to fully understand the ways of God, but that does not mean that they are inferior to the ways we can come up with on our own. Dwelling in His house is the goal, and His direction and protection are best for us in all situations.

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Cuando los discípulos tienen la tarea de alimentar a cinco mil hombres al otro lado del Mar de Galilea, se quedan estupefactos: ¿Cómo pueden alimentar a una multitud tan grande sin comida propia, sin mucho dinero, cinco panes de cebada y dos peces? Sin embargo, no se inmutan cuando Jesús les dice que preparen a la multitud para una comida. En lugar de confiar en su propia intuición y discutir con Jesús acerca de lo absurdo de alimentar a más de cinco mil personas con una cantidad tan pequeña de comida, simplemente hacen lo que les manda, sabiendo que proveerá para Su pueblo.

Los discípulos entienden nuestra aclamación evangélica, que “No sólo de pan vive el hombre, sino también de toda palabra que sale de la boca de Dios.” (Mt 4,4). No tienen idea de cómo abordar la situación, pero han aprendido a confiar en la dirección de Jesús, incluso en cuestiones de supervivencia física. Su orientación es mejor que cualquier cosa que se les haya ocurrido, incluso si parece absurdo en ese momento.

Esta perspectiva complementa la del salmista, cuyo único objetivo es morar en la casa del Señor y no en otros lugares más familiares. Y en nuestra Primera Lectura, vemos a Gamaliel diciendo algo similar: “si lo que se proponen y están haciendo es de origen humano, se acabará por sí mismo. Pero si es cosa de Dios, no podrán ustedes deshacerlo. No se expongan a luchar contra Dios” (Hechos 5:39). No quiere resistirse a algo que podría venir de Dios, aunque no lo entienda.

Gamaliel, el salmista y los discípulos ven el punto de mantenerse fijos en Dios, confiando en Su orientación incluso cuando sea difícil. Saben que si Dios ordena algo, guiándolo con Su mano, no puede fallar. Si orienta a alguien, sus indicaciones no serán seguidas en vano. Morar en Su casa es mejor que cualquier otra cosa.

Esta es una confianza profunda que necesitamos adoptar en nuestras propias vidas. Hay una autosuficiencia sutil que se cuela cuando pasamos demasiado tiempo buscando seguridad solo con nuestros propios esfuerzos. Planeamos con mucha anticipación, sin consultar a Dios sobre lo que quiere para nuestra vida y la de nuestros seres queridos. Inevitablemente, nuestros planes fallan y creamos otros nuevos, y no nos va mejor. Si no estamos acostumbrados a consultar a Dios y confiar en que realmente tiene las cosas bajo su control, nos apoyamos en métodos mundanos para mantener la seguridad, el prestigio y la riqueza, para que podamos tener todo lo necesario para una vida buena y pacífica. Buscando pasos fáciles hacia el éxito, recurrimos a las redes sociales y la sabiduría popular para resolver nuestros problemas. Si estas soluciones están separadas de la espiritualidad, nunca nos traerán la paz y la seguridad que buscamos.

En última instancia, debemos confiar en lo que Dios ya nos ha dicho a través de las escrituras, como las lecturas de hoy. Incluso y especialmente cuando las cosas parecen confusas y sin esperanza, Dios tiene todo bajo control. Debemos escucharlo y buscar su voluntad en estos momentos a través de la oración, la Escritura, los sacramentos y la dirección espiritual, confiando en lo que nos dice, aunque no podamos entender las razones. No podemos esperar comprender completamente los caminos de Dios, pero eso no significa que sean inferiores a los caminos que podemos encontrar por nuestra cuenta. Morar en Su casa es la meta, y Su orientación y su protección son lo mejor para nosotros en todas las situaciones.

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“When they heard this, they became infuriated and wanted to put them to death.”

The Apostles were so convicted by their experience of Jesus Christ, that they continued to tell his story even when those in power wanted to put them to death. Let that sink in for a moment. They wanted them put to death. And the Apostles did not stop. 

We live in a time when we are taught not to discuss religion and politics. We have witnessed people shamed and brought down for standing up for their convictions. It is a time of “political correctness” and “cancel culture”. 

This hits home hard for me. It is hard for me to even write these words. I am ashamed to admit that there have been times in my life when I have not brought up my faith because I was afraid it would make for an uncomfortable dinner conversation. I have neglected to share the grace I have received, because I wasn’t sure how the person would react, they might think I was weird or worse. I had a job once where I was cautioned to tuck in my crucifix because I was around people who didn’t like Catholics and I complied. No one has threatened my life, but there have definitely been times when I didn’t tell the story of Jesus Christ and the wonders he has worked. For that I am ashamed. 

A personal encounter with Jesus Christ has the ability to transform us. A personal encounter with Jesus Christ is able to take us outside of ourselves and move us into meaningful encounters with others. It is our mission to go out into the world and tell the story of Jesus Christ and his mercy. We are not to tell it once and then go back home, we are to tell the story over and over. More than that, we are to live the story. We are to live in such a way that mercy is our hallmark; where telling others how much they are loved is part of just who we are and how we operate. 

So I will take comfort from John’s words in the Gospel. “He does not ration his gift of the Spirit.” As I bend my will to conform more and more to God’s will, I can trust that God will not ration his gift of the Spirit so that each day I can start anew and along with the Psalmist “bless the Lord at all times.” Even when it feels uncomfortable. 

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