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The Easter Cycle
During the days of the Feast of Tabernacles, an adulterous woman was brought before our Lord,
who had come to the temple early in the morning and was preaching to the people, who flocked
to hear Him. The scribes cast before Him a poor woman they had just taken in adultery, and
said: “Master, this woman was even now taken in adultery. Now Moses in the law commanded
us to stone such a one. But what sayest Thou?” (Gospel.) For the Jews adultery was one of the
basest of sins, and in the Old Testament it was punishable by death.
In the liturgy the adulterous woman is a figure of the sinful Christian soul. By our sins we,
too, have been unfaithful to God, to our Savior, and to the Church. We have turned our back on
Him who from the moment of our baptism has not ceased to shower us with love and grace. We
have withdrawn our heart and our love from God, its true spouse, and have given it to another.
We have pandered our love to a base desire, to an empty pleasure, to the prince of this world,
who seeks only our destruction. This is indeed spiritual adultery. The adulterous woman was
cast before Jesus, and He received her kindly. What will He say to those who have accused her?
They have quoted Moses. Will He uphold them? Jesus says not a word, but bows down and
silently writes with His finger in the sand, as if to indicate that He wishes to have nothing to
do with the persecution of this poor woman. The scribes insist on an answer to their question.
Jesus rises and gives them an answer they were not expecting: “He that is without sin among
you, let him cast the first stone.” Are they without sin who wish now to stone her? One after
another they slip away to hide their shame. The sinful woman is left alone with Jesus. “Woman,
where are they that accused thee? Hath no man condemned thee?” “No man, Lord.” “Neither
will I condemn thee” (Gospel).
Jesus forgives this shameful sin, but not without the admonition, “Sin no more.” This is a
consoling thought for us. We, too, have been guilty of many sins, but we are not lost if only we
come to Jesus with sorrow and contrition, confess our guilt to the representative of Christ, and
resolve to give up our sins in the future. Christ is always ready to receive the penitent sinner.
“For though I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death [as did the adulterous woman],
I will fear no evil; for Thou art with me, O Lord” (Gradual). Thou dost not will the death of
the sinner, but that he be converted and live (cf. Ez 18:23, 33:11).
The Pharisees, zealous for the law, consider how they may hand the adulterous woman over to
death. They are without feeling and without mercy. But Jesus is of a different disposition. He
will not destroy, but save. He receives the sinner back again. He reveals in His passion and death
how vigorously He condemns and rejects sin; but the sinner He will save. We must acknowledge
our sins, do penance for them, and avoid them in the future. “Direct my steps, . . . and let no
iniquity have dominion over me, O Lord” (Offertory).
The Epistle of this Mass is the complement of the Gospel. Susanna, the wife of Joakim,
is falsely accused of adultery by the two wicked elders. She is being led out to death when
Daniel, enlightened by the Spirit of God, brings the truth to light. Through the wisdom of
Daniel, the innocence of the chaste Susanna is proved, and she is saved from death. The Old
Testament is the testament of justice, in which sin is punishable by death; the New Testament
is the testament of mercy, in which the sinner may find forgiveness through penance. The New
Testament gives the sinner strength to overcome passion and sin, and to raise himself to a life of
virtue and holiness. How grateful we should be for having learned to know Christ, and for the
opportunity of coming to Him through penance! We should be grateful, too, for the Eucharist.
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