Lectionary: 251
“Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
She replied, “No one, sir.”
Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.”
She replied, “No one, sir.”
Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.”
In the middle of the night Jesus spoke to Nicodemus, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.”
Today’s readings from
Daniel and John remind us of the dark mystery of sexuality. Given the Church's reputation in some crowds,
it might be easy to assume She is opposed to anything and everything
sexual. To counter that, I find it helpful to contemplate the beautiful words of
Genesis 2: 25, “The man and his wife were both naked, yet they felt no shame.”
That expression follows close
upon two other teachings: “God created mankind in his image; in the image of
God he created them; male and female he created them.” and “That is why a man
leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become
one body.”
These visions of marital harmony
and joy describe both the contentment that has been lost and the satisfaction that
lies ahead.
The story of human
sexuality is riddled with grief and distress. Even in our post-modern, post-Christian
world – a world which was designed to free us from all remorse, anxiety and
shame about sexual matters – our musical traditions of Country/Western and the
Blues tell us the anguish is as intense as ever. But few of us need to listen to the radio to know that.
Jesus does not need to
condemn us to make our pain any worse. Nor is that his plan. If we could learn
anything from punishment, divorce and adultery would have disappeared long ago. Every human society tries, or has tried, to control the sexual impulse with draconian measures. The violence usually fell on women -- as in today's scriptures -- but the impulse to "increase and multiply and fill the earth" is too strong and too subtle for our ham-fisted methods.
If neither complete license nor violent punishment can direct the sexual impulse toward satisfaction and away from devastation, what hope do we have?
The Bridegroom Jesus gives his life for his body the Church. She is represented in scriptures in today's story from John 8, and in the Samaritan woman of John 4. She is the virgin of Revelations 12 and the bride of Revelations 22. Human love that discounts the presence of God cannot satisfy the very urge that drives us toward friendship, bonding, kinship and family.
Today, more than ever, the Church needs married couples to step out and speak of their sacrament, and how they meet Jesus Christ in the person of each another. They must speak of the unexpected virtues they found within themselves as they weathered the storms of married life: their discipline, penance, courage, gentleness, sacrifice, forgiveness, prayer and patience. They must tell the world that marriage does not begin with mutual likes and dislikes; that their love began when they realized how unlike they are; that they woke up one morning to realize, "I've married a stranger!" And that's when love began!
They must tell the world how they
If neither complete license nor violent punishment can direct the sexual impulse toward satisfaction and away from devastation, what hope do we have?
The Bridegroom Jesus gives his life for his body the Church. She is represented in scriptures in today's story from John 8, and in the Samaritan woman of John 4. She is the virgin of Revelations 12 and the bride of Revelations 22. Human love that discounts the presence of God cannot satisfy the very urge that drives us toward friendship, bonding, kinship and family.
Today, more than ever, the Church needs married couples to step out and speak of their sacrament, and how they meet Jesus Christ in the person of each another. They must speak of the unexpected virtues they found within themselves as they weathered the storms of married life: their discipline, penance, courage, gentleness, sacrifice, forgiveness, prayer and patience. They must tell the world that marriage does not begin with mutual likes and dislikes; that their love began when they realized how unlike they are; that they woke up one morning to realize, "I've married a stranger!" And that's when love began!
They must tell the world how they
"consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us. For creation awaits with eager expectation the revelation of the children of God."
Romans 8:18
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.