+ Today is the Fifth and final Sunday of Lent, the
last before Palm Sunday and Holy Week which follows that. The gospel today,
which concludes the Lenten Sundays, ends fittingly with the narration of the woman caught in adultery and Jesus’
defense of her, and the forgiveness of her sins by him! This is precisely what
his upcoming Death and Resurrection would be all about: the forgiveness of all sins and the opportunity for any who are repentant – of any
generation – to have their sins forgiven (through the ministry of the Church) –
and to hope for a place in the heavenly
homeland – which to that point was blocked off.
In the first reading from the
Prophet Isaiah we see an imagery of water
in the desert – an obvious reference to Jesus, whose total reality and
message is a life giving drink in the
midst of the desert wasteland of secular evils, misgivings, and what is worse,
indifference - that many find themselves entangled in. Jesus, in his
Church, is meant to be a never-ending fountain, source, of strength, hope and
grace!
It is an emphatic point that
the doors to forgiveness are always open to those who see the light, who repent
of their past misdeeds and who turn to the Lord, walk through that door and ask
his compassionate love and forgiveness – which he immediately pours out like an
ocean of soothing, balming ointment and grace.
May we ourselves be among the
repentant, the forgiven and the redeemed, and may we pray earnestly and
unceasingly for those who are still astray, who still are grazing in dangerous
meadows, who are still away from the true love of their lives. And our prayer
for them will make a difference – it will make a difference.
The
Lord has done great things for us: we are filled with joy! – May we
share that joy with all we meet!
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