Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters, who brings out chariot and horse, army and warrior; they lie down, they cannot rise, they are extinguished, quenched like a wick:
“Do not remember the former things,
or consider the things of old.
I am about to do a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.
The wild animals will honour me,
the jackals and the ostriches;
for I give water in the wilderness,
rivers in the desert,
to give drink to my chosen people,
the people whom I formed for myself
so that they might declare my praise.”
“Do not remember the former things,
or consider the things of old.
I am about to do a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.
The wild animals will honour me,
the jackals and the ostriches;
for I give water in the wilderness,
rivers in the desert,
to give drink to my chosen people,
the people whom I formed for myself
so that they might declare my praise.”
Second reading Philippians 3:8-14
I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, so that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.
Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.
Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him and he sat down and began to teach them.
The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before them all, they said to him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground.
When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, sir.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.”
The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before them all, they said to him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground.
When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, sir.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.”
Reflection
By Carlo Alexis R Malaluan
After a Catechism class, a grade three student approached me to ask a simple, innocent yet startling question: How does God forgives our sins? I answered, when we are truly sorry for committing sins. God will take them and place them deep within the ocean and He will place a big sign that says: No Fishing Allowed!
When someone has caused us pain or made us feel bad, it is very hard to embrace forgiveness. It is very hard for us to forgive and to understand. We are always faced with the existential question, How can we forgive? Let us learn from the example of the Lord.
First, do not condemn. When we see someone sinning, our initial reaction will always be outrage and condemnation. We want to pulverize the person! But in the face of public denunciation, Christ’s answer will never be condemnation. “Neither do I condemn you”, says the Lord. When we condemn a person we deprive him of the justice he deserves, of the future that belongs to him and most especially, we deprive ourselves a chance to understand and to love.
Second, trust. To move on from a painful experience of sin is never comfortable nor beautiful, but it is an experience of grace. To forgive is also to trust that person – to believe and have faith in that person. “Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.”
Forgiveness transforms all of us. The experience to forgive and to receive forgiveness can be life-changing! After all, every one of us is worthy of condemnation – we are worthy to be stoned. But we are not condemned, we are forgiven and trusted. God forgive us! God has faith in us!
After a Catechism class, a grade three student approached me to ask a simple, innocent yet startling question: How does God forgives our sins? I answered, when we are truly sorry for committing sins. God will take them and place them deep within the ocean and He will place a big sign that says: No Fishing Allowed!
When someone has caused us pain or made us feel bad, it is very hard to embrace forgiveness. It is very hard for us to forgive and to understand. We are always faced with the existential question, How can we forgive? Let us learn from the example of the Lord.
First, do not condemn. When we see someone sinning, our initial reaction will always be outrage and condemnation. We want to pulverize the person! But in the face of public denunciation, Christ’s answer will never be condemnation. “Neither do I condemn you”, says the Lord. When we condemn a person we deprive him of the justice he deserves, of the future that belongs to him and most especially, we deprive ourselves a chance to understand and to love.
Second, trust. To move on from a painful experience of sin is never comfortable nor beautiful, but it is an experience of grace. To forgive is also to trust that person – to believe and have faith in that person. “Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.”
Forgiveness transforms all of us. The experience to forgive and to receive forgiveness can be life-changing! After all, every one of us is worthy of condemnation – we are worthy to be stoned. But we are not condemned, we are forgiven and trusted. God forgive us! God has faith in us!
Prayer
Merciful Father, You sent Your Son to save us. As we receive His forgiveness, may we also forgive. As we received love and understanding help us to do the same for others. In His Most Sacred Name we pray. Amen.
Merciful Father, You sent Your Son to save us. As we receive His forgiveness, may we also forgive. As we received love and understanding help us to do the same for others. In His Most Sacred Name we pray. Amen.
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