This homily is prompted by John 8:1-11.
Today’s Gospel recounts the story of the woman accused of adultery. She would have been stoned to death had our Lord not confronted her accusers about their sins. The story invites us to put ourselves in her place and appreciate God’s boundless mercy.
Given the digital world today, however, it should also invite us to put ourselves in the place of her would-be stoners, for isn’t that what a lot of people tend to do on social media these days?
This reflection is based on the Gospel reading for the Fourth Sunday of Lent, Luke 15:1-32.
The 2017 McCann study called “Truth about the Youth” surveyed over 30,000 respondents all over the world, and found that one out of two young people today feel worse about themselves whenever they see the posts of their friends on social media. This rising phenomenon has been called “social media envy.”
This reflection on Luke 13:1-9 is for the Third Sunday of Lent.
I almost did a double take reading today’s Gospel. You see, something doesn’t quite add up–at least on first reading. And I’m not talking about the parable of the fig tree–that one is pretty clear, its meaning self-evident and its message quite consoling. Put simply: If we don’t get our act together, we will perish. But God is the gardener who gives us an undeserved second chance and a much-welcomed reprieve.
Neat, simple, and reassuring enough for us to get back to business as usual, right? The problem, however, is what comes before that. What our Lord says before the parable is not quite as neat and simple–and certainly not as consoling!
This homily is based on Luke 9:28-36 for the Second Sunday of Lent.
It’s not every day during his earthly life that you see our Lord bathed in heavenly light. In fact, such displays of divinity are quite few and far between. Unless my memory fails me, this so-called Transfiguration of the Lord is probably the only recorded one aside from the Resurrection appearances and the Ascension–which don’t really count because that’s already the Risen Lord we’re dealing with.
This One-Minute Sunday Gospel Reflection is based on Luke 6:27-38.