On this 5th Sunday of Lent, we witness the famous scene of the woman caught in adultery. In his reflection, Tony discusses how this scene simultaneously reminds us of the seriousness of our situation, of our need for a Savior, and the longsuffering mercy of our God.
Mass Readings:
Reading 1: Isaiah 43:16-21
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6
Reading 2: Philippians 3:8-14
Gospel: John 8:1-11
Endnotes:
Luke 15:16-17
Luke 15:17
Luke 15:31-32-we are never told whether the elder son has a conversion of his own and enters his father’s banquet or not.
Luke 15:4-7-Parable of the Lost Sheep; Luke 15:8-10-Parable of the Lost Coin.
John 14:6
For discussion of the relationship of this episode to the manuscript tradition, see Francis Martin and William M. Wright IV, The Gospel of John, 151 in Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture Series, and Raymond E. Brown, An Introduction to the New Testament, 376.
On the passages’ fit with the Gospel of Luke, see Francis Martin and William M. Wright IV, The Gospel of John, 151.
Raymond E. Brown, An Introduction to the New Testament, 376-377.
Daniel 13:8-10
Daniel 13:10
Daniel 13:12-14
Daniel 13:15-21
Daniel 13:34-41
Daniel 13:60-62
Leviticus 20:10 & Deuteronomy 22:22
John 7:30 & 7:32
Leviticus 20:10 & Deuteronomy 22:22-24
St. Augustine of Hippo, Homilies on the Gospel of John, 33.4.
Jeremiah 17:3
Francis Martin and William M. Wright IV, The Gospel of John, 152.
John 4:13-14
John 7:37-38
Tony Crescio is the founder of FRESHImage Ministries. He holds an MTS from the University of Notre Dame and is currently a PhD candidate in Christian Theology at Saint Louis University. His research focuses on the intersection between moral and sacramental theology. His dissertation is entitled, Presencing the Divine: Augustine, the Eucharist and the Ethics of Exemplarity.
Tony’s academic publications can be found here.