Condemn a Sinner If You Are Sinless!

Rev. Marcel E. Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Fifth Sunday of Lent, Year C

St. Mary of Assumption Church, Whittier, CA

Sunday, March 13, 2016

During the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ, some of those who disliked him and often times looked for an opportunity to set him on trap were the Pharisees and scribes. When they arrested a woman caught in adultery, their chief reason for bringing her to Jesus was to use her as a pawn to bring some charges against him (John 8:6). In this instance, Jesus was in the temple area teaching when they rudely interrupted him: “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So, what do you say?” (John 8:4-5) That was a very tough position to be in. If Jesus had categorically denounced capital punishment, they would have accused him of negating the Law of Moses that requires it in this instance. And if Jesus had approved it, they would have accused him of breaking the Roman law that denied the vanquished Israelites the authority to impose capital punishment. 

What was at stake here wasn’t the acknowledgement or otherwise of what the woman did. There was no disagreement about what she had done. Jesus agreed with the Pharisees and scribes that her action was sinful; but disagreed with them on what should be done to her. For them, she deserved to be stoned to death because the Mosaic law said so, but for Jesus, she deserved a second chance because “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that through him, the world might be saved” (John 3:17). He was only interested in calling sinners to true repentance, and not to condemn them. Every single one of them standing before Jesus was living on a second chance. None of them had a clean record or a spotless life. Their desperate plot to set Jesus on trap did not allow them to realize it. To avoid falling into the trap they had set for him, Jesus made them embark on a journey of their past. He made them take a walk down memory lane: “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7b). Jesus was simply saying to them, condemn her if you are blameless. Of course, none of them was sinless, so, they went away one by one, beginning with the elders” (John 8:9) after seeing their sins written on the ground by Jesus. If anyone of them had tried to throw a stone at her, it would have come back to him.

As far as the Pharisees and scribes were concerned, the woman in question was a no-body, someone who did not matter, whose life could easily be wasted. For them, she was a woman of easy virtue; she was no good. But when Jesus looked at her, she saw a real person, a human being gripped by sin and public shame, who desperately needed liberation. She did not make any excuses for her sin. She did not blame anyone for her lifestyle. She did not blame the devil for her behavior. She knew she had done wrong, unlike the Pharisees and scribes who needed Jesus to remind them that they too had sinned. When all her accusers had gone, Jesus looked up, saw her heart, read the contrition in her heart and then said to her, “Neither do I condemn you” (John 8:11b). Jesus did for her what her community declined to do. He gave her what her folks refused to give her. He gave her a second chance but with a challenge: “Go and from now on do not sin any more” (John 8:11c). By asking her not to return to sex trade eloquently shows his trust in humanity and in human nature. Jesus was asking her to do a very difficult thing, but he believed she could do it. He had seen that within her lies the ability, capacity and capability not to continue to mess up her life, but to mend it and to right the wrong. Jesus had seen that if she only tries, she would overcome her weakness and turn her life around. He believed that a terrible sinner today, can become an amazing saint tomorrow. The worst today, can become the best tomorrow. Jesus believed that the woman was not yet a finished product; so he offered her a second chance to go and redeem her image and to straightened her crooked life. In Jesus, there is the gospel of second chance. He is not so much interested in what you have been but in what you could become. He is not so much interested in what you have done but in what you would do moving forward. 

Beloved in Christ, Jesus teaches us that only the person who is without sin has a right to judge and condemn other sinners. We are only allowed to condemn the guilty if we ourselves are guiltless. It’s unfair to demand standards from others that we never even try to meet ourselves. It’s hypocrisy to loudly condemn the faults in others that are also evident in our own lives. The common weakness of all means that only God has the right to judge. No one is good enough to condemn. Therefore, our first reaction towards a member of the church, family, and society who did something wrong should be pity. When we are confronted with someone who has done wrong, our reaction should not be condemnation, but compassion. The lessons of John 8:1-11 are these: God is full of mercy and compassion, but he still expects us to try and be better each day. Although Jesus forgave the adulterous woman, but also challenged her to put her life in order. He urged her to leave sin behind because it hurts and damages a person and the person’s relationship with God. Sin lowers and reduces us. 

This Gospel also highlights something else: the age-long maltreatment of women. The sin of adultery can only be committed by two persons. But in this story, only the woman was presented as the sinner. Nothing was said of the man. The accusers only brought the woman and were ready to apply the law of capital punishment on her. What about her partner, the man? But in the end, Jesus used their intolerance, discrimination, self-righteousness and hypocrisy to underscore once again that he has not come to call the virtuous, but sinners to repentance (Luke 5:32). He forgave the woman, gave her a second chance, believed in her and offered her hope. Jesus restored her dignity and self-worth. 

Folks, if you are sinless, then condemn the sinful. If you have never sinned before, be the first to condemn the fallen. But if you have erred in your life, show the same mercy that you received when you fell.

It’s Time To Go Home!

Homily for the 4th Sunday of Lent, Year C

Fr. Marcel Emeka Okwara, CSsR

St. Mary’s of Assumption of Church, Whittier, CA

Sunday, March 6, 2016

Is there anyone out there who is still wondering who God really is? Is there anyone in this church who still does not understand God’s attitude towards a sinner? Is there anyone here who wonders how God treats those who have offended him? Is there anyone, who, due to what you have done, still questions and wonders if God is going to forgive and accept you back when you turn a new leaf and return to him? Today’s Gospel taken from Luke 15:1-3, 11-32, provides your answer. Your answer is in the parable of the Prodigal Son, narrated by the Savior of humanity, Jesus Christ. 

Today’s Gospel started with a narrative of how all manner of sinners were coming to listen to Jesus. As they got closer to him, the Pharisees and scribes were expecting him to dismiss, reject and condemn them. But Jesus warmly received them, prompting the Pharisees and scribes to complain, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” It’s either they did not get Jesus’ memo that says “The Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost” (Luke 19:10) or they simply ignored it. Jesus knew they were complaining about the way he welcomed, treated and related with sinners. He knew they were appalled by his friendliness with sinners. He knew their notion of God was false. So he took a swipe at them and probably said: “Are you complaining that I welcome and eat with sinners? Now, hear me out. Let me tell you who God really is. Listen to this parable.” 

A man had two sons. The younger son wanted autonomy. He wanted to be his own man. He asked his share of his father’s estate. Immediately his share was given to him, he left home to a distant country. Out there he squandered his inheritance on an immoral life, and thereafter became homeless and hungry. Out of desperation “he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine.” It was really a significant turn of events for him to be feeding pigs, animals that Jews considered unclean. As his suffering deepened, he came to his senses and decided to return home to his father. But he was not expecting a royal welcome or reception. He was going to ask his father to accept and treat him like one of his servants. Living as a servant in his father’s house was by far better than his present condition. While he was still far away from home, his father, who was standing outside saw him and was filled with compassion for him. He did not wait for him to come closer; he did not turn away from him or yell at him. Instead, he ran to him, puts his arms around him and kissed him. It’s possible the father shed tears— tears of joy that his lost and dead son was back and tears of sorrow at what his son had become. No one should expect a man who fed pigs and lived with them to look good and healthy. As the father was hugging and kissing his son, the young man started reciting a prepared speech of contrition he had composed before embarking on the journey: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son. Treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.” But his father was not paying attention to the son’s speech of repentance. He was not listening to his recitation of the act of contrition. He was thinking of how to celebrate his son’s return with his neighbors. But before that, his son’s appearance needed to be taken care of. So, he ordered his servants: “Quickly, bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.”

The finest robe and ring the father ordered to be put on him symbolized restoration. When the younger son left his family, he lost his place as a prince and son. But now, the father is restoring him to his place as a prince and son. The father also called for a pair of sandals to be put on his feet. Although the son had asked to be treated as one of the father’s slaves, but by putting sandals on his feet, his father was declaring that his son was not going to be a slave in his father’s house. The father ordered the fattened calf to be slaughtered as well. His son’s hunger in a foreign land and the long walk to home definitely emptied him out. Hunger, deprivation and austerity were written all over him. The father did not want to waste any time to begin to feed his son fat again. The father also called for a celebration with his neighbors. It’s not only a celebration of the son’s return but also a celebration of the father’s immense love and mercy. The father wants to show others how to forgive. When the elder son returned home and heard what has happened, he was upset and refused to join in the celebration of his brother’s return. He surely acted like the Pharisees and scribes who never wanted Jesus to welcome tax collectors and sinners. His behavior was also bad and sinful. Like his younger brother, he too had sinned by becoming an obstacle in the realization of family unity and harmony.

Beloved in Christ, we all are sinners. Whether our sins are more visible like those of the prodigal son or more hidden like those of the elder son, the simple message today is: It’s time to go home. The younger son needed to abandon irresponsibility, wasteful lifestyle, and immorality behind and return home. The elder son needed to leave anger, jealousy, pride, unforgiveness and resentment behind and return home too. You and I also need to abandon our evil ways and return home and join in the Father’s feast and celebration. The Father is standing outside, and looking ahead for our return

In reality, this parable is misnamed. It shouldn’t be called the Parable of the Prodigal Son, because the son is not at its center, the father is. It should rather be called “The Parable of the Prodigal Father”. Webster’s dictionary defines the word prodigal as “exceedingly or recklessly wasteful,” or “extremely generous; lavish.” If anyone is prodigal in this story, it is the father! He did not give up on his son. He loved him regardless of what he did. God is the Father in this story. The two sons are you and me. No matter the enormity of our sins, God welcomes us home whenever we return. Jennifer Hudson says in one of her songs , “I am not perfect, but he loves me anyway. Wasn’t an angel in my younger days. We all have done things, that’s between us and God. He loves me still. He loves us still.”