Jesus Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery,
Lorenzo Lotto, c. 1528, Louvre
(About this Image)

They said to 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?”
They said this to test him,
so that they could have some charge to bring against him.
Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger.
But when they continued asking him,
he straightened up and said to them,
“Let the one among you who is without sin
be the first to throw a stone at her.”
(John 8:4–7)

Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the Second Reading
Fifth Sunday of Lent
Philippians 3:8–14
April 3, 2022

Paul’s mission strategy was to go to a large trading city with at
least some Jewish merchants. He would visit their synagogue and as a
learned man be invited to speak. As a compelling speaker, he would
attract disciples among them and from this core he extended his ministry
to Gentiles. When he felt that the seed had been planted, he would
choose leaders and move on to another city. This allowed him to make
more converts, but it also meant that the seed may not have had much
time to mature before it was tested. Since other preachers would have
realized the same thing as Paul and also sought out cities on trade
routes, the most serious testing was from other Christians. Sometimes as
with Apollos in Corinth, it led to the strengthening of the community
but usually it was from Jewish converts who were unwilling to give up
their customs and often held on to doctrines now incompatible with faith
in Jesus. As we read last week in the 2^nd letter to the
Corinthians, these false teachers could change the minds of Paul’s new
Christians. This caused Paul such distress that letter is called “the
Letter of Sorrow.” On the other hand the Philippians remained strong in
their faith and this letter is called the “Letter of Friendship.”
Continue reading “Fifth Sunday of Lent – United by Our Creator and Redeemer” →

The Prodigal Son in Modern Life: The Return,
James Tissot, c. 1882, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nantes
(About this Image)

So he got up and went back to his father.
While he was still a long way off,
his father caught sight of him,
and was filled with compassion.
He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.
(Luke 15:20)

Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the Second Reading
Fourth Sunday of Lent
2 Corinthians 5:17–21
March 27, 2022

We return to Corinth this week about a year after the events spoken
of last week (57 AD). The first letter to the Corinthians shows that
Paul left Corinth feeling that he had successfully addressed the
divisions in the community. He has since heard that people from outside
Corinth have come and created even greater dissension than before. It is
uncertain who they were or what they held but this may not be especially
important. They seem to have tailored the good news of Jesus to be good
business for them and presented a slick package. In our own terms, they
would be like TV health-and-wealth preachers as opposed to an evangelist
like Bishop Barron. Paul is so hurt that this is often called the
“letter of sorrow.”

Continue reading “4th Sunday of Lent – Called to the Work of a Lifetime” →