By Antony Christy, SDB –
April 7, 2019: Fifth Sunday in Lent
Isaiah 43: 16-21; Philippians 3: 8-14; John 8: 1-11
We have arrived at the crossroad on our journey to holiness. After the four milestones, we have covered a good part of our journey and are reminded of the fact that every encounter with the Lord initiates a fresh a itinerary. It is a fresh itinerary and not just a little change over. The message today is this: Lent is no time for regret or remorse. Neither is it a call to resume our life after a short break. It is a time to start afresh. Start afresh from the forgiveness of the Lord!
The experience of being forgiven is a refreshing moment, it is not a moment that reminds us of all the wrong that we have done. If it does so, then it ties us to our past. We will be filled with regrets and remorse, and guilt will reign supreme! That is what happened to Judas. He betrayed his friend and teacher – Jesus. Yes, it was wrong but it wasn’t worse than Peter who denied even knowing the Master who loved him so much. But we see Peter come out of that treacherous situation unscathed, not Judas! The reason, with Judas there was regret, remorse and the resultant guilt. With Peter there was the will to restart! That is what the Lord challenges us to today, as he tells us: Go sin no more!
At times our lenten experience can become an interim experience, as it happens in an institution during the moments of ‘inspection’ or ‘verification’. It is like my experience. I have the habit of filling my table with books and notes that I work with. It may look like a mess over my table, but I go on with my work. At a point of time I would just take it upon myself to start clearing the mess and start putting some order. When the table looks empty and orderly, one of my friends would remark with a smile: “let us see how long it lasts!” Rightly so, the books and notes would return in no time! Lent cannot be that short time of “putting order” and then to resume the ‘ordinary life’. That would make it all an excessive effort for too little a cause.
Lent has to be a moment of Starting afresh! It should be a time when I have to decide on elements to be TRASHED in my life. St. Paul speaks of that categorical choice for Christ: when everything else becomes rubbish. It is a moment to ascertain the only thing to be TREASURED – the renewing mercy of God brought to us by the redeeming love of Christ. And it is a challenge to TONE UP our life, forgetting the failures of the past and Restarting our journey with Christ. That is what Jesus tells the woman: behold I create something new for you, a new life, a new start. Come, start again and and be joyful.
On our journey to holiness, we are invited to constantly restart our journey. This means knowing the unconditional love of God, trusting in its unending nature and striving without giving up to get closer and closer to holiness of life. In short, it is Growing afresh in the Lord.
Fr Antony Christy is a Salesian Priest from 2005, who has a Masters in Philosophy (specialisation in Religion) and a Masters in Theology (Specialisation in Catechetics). He is currently pursuing his doctoral research in Theology at Salesian Pontifical University, Rome. Walking with the Young towards a World of Peace and Dialogue is the passion that fires him.