(Optional
Memorial for Saint Toribio De Mogrovejo, Bishop)
 |
| “Jesus and the Adulterous Woman” by Pieter van Lint, c. 1650s |
Reading 1: Daniel
13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62
In Babylon
who married a very beautiful
and God-fearing woman, Susanna,
the daughter of Hilkiah;
her pious parents had trained
their daughter
according to the law of
Moses.
Joakim was very rich;
he had a garden near his
house,
and the Jews had recourse to
him often
because he was the most
respected of them all.
That year, two elders of the
people were appointed judges,
of whom the Lord said,
"Wickedness has come out of Babylon
from the elders who were to
govern the people as judges."
These men, to whom all
brought their cases,
frequented the house of
Joakim.
When the people left at noon,
Susanna used to enter her
husband's garden for a walk.
When the old men saw her
enter every day for her walk,
they began to lust for her.
They suppressed their
consciences;
they would not allow their
eyes to look to heaven,
and did not keep in mind just
judgments.
One day, while they were
waiting for the right moment,
she entered the garden as
usual, with two maids only.
She decided to bathe, for the
weather was warm.
Nobody else was there except
the two elders,
who had hidden themselves and
were watching her.
"Bring me oil and
soap," she said to the maids,
"and shut the garden
doors while I bathe."
As soon as the maids had
left,
the two old men got up and
hurried to her.
"Look," they said,
"the garden doors are shut, and no one can see us;
give in to our desire, and lie
with us.
If you refuse, we will
testify against you
that you dismissed your maids
because a young man was here with you."
"I am completely
trapped," Susanna groaned.
"If I yield, it will be
my death;
if I refuse, I cannot escape
your power.
Yet it is better for me to
fall into your power without guilt
than to sin before the
Lord."
Then Susanna shrieked, and
the old men also shouted at her,
as one of them ran to open
the garden doors.
When the people in the house
heard the cries from the garden,
they rushed in by the side
gate to see what had happened to her.
At the accusations by the old
men,
the servants felt very much
ashamed,
for never had any such thing
been said about Susanna.
When the people came to her
husband Joakim the next day,
the two wicked elders also
came,
fully determined to put
Susanna to death.
Before all the people they
ordered:
"Send for Susanna, the
daughter of Hilkiah,
the wife of Joakim."
When she was sent for,
she came with her parents,
children and all her relatives.
All her relatives and the
onlookers were weeping.
In the midst of the people
the two elders rose up
and laid their hands on her
head.
Through tears she looked up
to heaven,
for she trusted in the Lord
wholeheartedly.
The elders made this
accusation:
"As we were walking in
the garden alone,
this woman entered with two
girls
and shut the doors of the
garden, dismissing the girls.
A young man, who was hidden
there, came and lay with her.
When we, in a corner of the
garden, saw this crime,
we ran toward them.
We saw them lying together,
but the man we could not
hold, because he was stronger than we;
he opened the doors and ran
off.
Then we seized her and asked
who the young man was,
but she refused to tell us.
We testify to this."
The assembly believed them,
since they were elders and
judges of the people,
and they condemned her to
death.
But Susanna cried aloud:
"O eternal God, you know
what is hidden
and are aware of all things
before they come to be:
you know that they have
testified falsely against me.
Here I am about to die,
though I have done none of
the things
with which these wicked men
have charged me."
The Lord heard her prayer.
As she was being led to
execution,
God stirred up the holy
spirit of a young boy named Daniel,
and he cried aloud:
"I will have no part in
the death of this woman."
All the people turned and
asked him, "What is this you are saying?"
He stood in their midst and
continued,
"Are you such fools, O
children of Israel!
To condemn a woman of Israel
and without clear evidence?
Return to court, for they
have testified falsely against her."
Then all the people returned
in haste.
To Daniel the elders said,
"Come, sit with us and
inform us,
since God has given you the
prestige of old age."
But he replied,
"Separate these two far
from each other that I may examine them."
After they were separated one
from the other,
he called one of them and
said:
"How you have grown evil
with age!
Now have your past sins come
to term:
passing unjust sentences,
condemning the innocent,
and freeing the guilty,
although the Lord says,
‘The innocent and the just
you shall not put to death.'
Now, then, if you were a
witness,
tell me under what tree you
saw them together."
"Under a mastic
tree," he answered.
Daniel replied, "Your
fine lie has cost you your head,
for the angel of God shall
receive the sentence from him
and split you in two."
Putting him to one side, he
ordered the other one to be brought.
Daniel said to him,
"Offspring of Canaan,
not of Judah
lust has subverted your
conscience.
This is how you acted with
the daughters of Israel
and in their fear they
yielded to you;
but a daughter of Judah
Now, then, tell me under what
tree you surprised them together."
"Under an oak," he
said.
Daniel replied, "Your
fine lie has cost you also your head,
for the angel of God waits
with a sword to cut you in two
so as to make an end of you
both."
The whole assembly cried
aloud,
blessing God who saves those
who hope in him.
They rose up against the two
elders,
for by their own words Daniel
had convicted them of perjury.
According to the law of
Moses,
they inflicted on them
the penalty they had plotted
to impose on their neighbor:
they put them to death.
Thus was innocent blood
spared that day.
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Commentary on Dn 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62
The story of Susanna and the
Elders is one of three stories that now exist only in Greek. Neither this story
nor the stories of Bel, and the Dragon are included in the Hebrew Cannon but
have always been included by the Church.
This story is one of justice and
the application of Mosaic Law (Deuteronomy 17:6, 19:5) that two witnesses must
corroborate testimony against one charged. The innocent Susanna is rescued by
the hero of the Book, Daniel. In demanding the law be followed scrupulously, he
rescues Susanna and expunges wickedness.
Within the story we find Susanna
and her family likely intended to represent Israel. The two elders may have
some link with the two false prophets who committed adultery and who are
denounced in Jeremiah 29:21-23. The
point is clearly made that what leads them astray is lust. A work attributed to
St John Chrysostom comments on this passage: "If no passion undermines and
corrupts it, the soul will remain clean and unstained. But if he does not guard
his eyes, and looks at whatever he wants around him in the world, […] the
poison of desire will enter through a man's sight and strike to the bottom of
his heart; and he who was once a sober and modest man will be overwhelmed by a
whirlwind of passions" (De Susanna, col. 591).[4]
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OR
Shorter Form: Daniel
13:41c-62
The assembly condemned
Susanna to death.
But Susanna cried aloud:
"O eternal God, you know
what is hidden
and are aware of all things
before they come to be:
you know that they have
testified falsely against me.
Here I am about to die,
though I have done none of
the things
with which these wicked men
have charged me."
The Lord heard her prayer.
As she was being led to
execution,
God stirred up the holy
spirit of a young boy named Daniel,
and he cried aloud:
"I will have no part in
the death of this woman."
All the people turned and
asked him,
"What is this you are
saying?"
He stood in their midst and
continued,
"Are you such fools, O
children of Israel!
To condemn a woman of Israel
and without clear evidence?
Return to court, for they
have testified falsely against her."
Then all the people returned
in haste.
To Daniel the elders said,
"Come, sit with us and
inform us,
since God has given you the
prestige of old age."
But he replied,
"Separate these two far
from each other that I may examine them."
After they were separated one
from the other,
he called one of them and
said:
"How you have grown evil
with age!
Now have your past sins come
to term:
passing unjust sentences,
condemning the innocent,
and freeing the guilty,
although the Lord says,
‘The innocent and the just
you shall not put to death.'
Now, then, if you were a
witness,
tell me under what tree you
saw them together."
"Under a mastic
tree," he answered.
Daniel replied, "Your
fine lie has cost you your head,
for the angel of God shall
receive the sentence from him
and split you in two."
Putting him to one side, he
ordered the other one to be brought.
Daniel said to him,
"Offspring of Canaan, not of Judah
beauty has seduced you, lust
has subverted your conscience.
This is how you acted with
the daughters of Israel
and in their fear they
yielded to you;
but a daughter of Judah
Now, then, tell me under what
tree you surprised them together."
"Under an oak," he
said.
Daniel replied, "Your
fine lie has cost you also your head,"
for the angel of God waits
with a sword to cut you in two
so as to make an end of you
both."
The whole assembly cried
aloud,
blessing God who saves those
who hope in him.
They rose up against the two
elders,
for by their own words Daniel
had convicted them of perjury.
According to the law of
Moses,
they inflicted on them
the penalty they had plotted
to impose on their neighbor:
they put them to death.
Thus was innocent blood
spared that day.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Dn 13:41c-62
The shorter version
omits all that led up to the trial and conviction of Susanna. In doing so, this
shorter form requires the reader to infer from the final verdict the injustice
being plotted by the wicked elders. Daniel, now a Judge raised up by God to
protect the innocent not a seer or interpreter of dreams, intervenes to rescue
Susanna and demonstrate the justice of Mosaic Law.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm
23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
R. (4ab) Even though I walk in the dark valley I
fear no evil; for you are at my side.
The LORD is my shepherd; I
shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives
me repose;
Beside restful waters he
leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no
evil; for you are at my side.
He guides me in right paths
for his name's sake.
Even though I walk in the
dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are
at my side
With your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
R. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no
evil; for you are at my side.
You spread the table before
me
in the sight of my foes;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no
evil; for you are at my side.
Only goodness and kindness
follow me
all the days of my life;
And I shall dwell in the
house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no
evil; for you are at my side.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
Psalm 23 is one of the most
familiar in the entire psalter. “God's loving care for the psalmist is
portrayed under the figures of a shepherd for the flock (Psalm 23:1-4) and a
host's generosity toward a guest (Psalm 23:5-6). The
imagery of both sections is drawn from traditions of the exodus (Isaiah 40:11; 49:10; Jeremiah 31:10).”[5] While
the theme of Shepherd is mentioned in the first strophe, the psalm really
speaks to the peace given to those who follow the Lord and place their trust in
Him, even into the “dark valley”.
The reference in the third
strophe above “You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes” “occurs
in an exodus context in Psalm 78:19. As my enemies watch: my
enemies see that I am God's friend and guest. Oil: a perfumed ointment made
from olive oil, used especially at banquets (Psalm 104:15; Matthew 26:7; Luke 7:37, 46; John 12:2).”[6]
CCC: Ps
23:5 1293
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: John
8:1-11
Jesus went to the Mount of Olives .
But early in the morning he
arrived again in the temple area,
and all the people started
coming to him,
and he sat down and taught
them.
Then the scribes and the
Pharisees brought a woman
who had been caught in
adultery
and made her stand in the
middle.
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."
Again he bent down and wrote
on the ground.
And in response, they went
away one by one,
beginning with the elders.
So he was left alone with the
woman before him.
Then Jesus straightened up and
said to her,
"Woman, where are they?
Has no one condemned
you?"
She replied, "No one,
sir."
Then Jesus said,
"Neither do I condemn you.
Go, and from now on do not
sin any more."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jn 8:1-11
John’s Gospel places Jesus once more in the temple precincts. The story of Jesus and the Adulterous
Woman constitutes another example of how the Jewish leadership attempts to trap
Jesus with a difficult legal problem. They have no
doubt heard the Lord’s teaching about loving one another and believe that he
will not condemn the adulterous woman and thereby give them reason to call him
“blasphemer.” As a side note,
most scripture scholars believe this passage was not originally in St. John’s
Gospel but was borrowed from St. Luke.
Regardless, from a very early period it has been considered sacred in
the current context.
It is not
completely clear what Jesus is being asked to judge. The law concerning adultery by a betrothed
virgin was stoning (see Deuteronomy 22:23-24). However, the law
concerning married women was simply death (see Leviticus
20:10 and Deuteronomy 22:22) and was
generally carried out by strangulation.
In response, rather than debating the law, he simply begins
writing in the dust. Tradition tells us that what he wrote with his finger was
a list of the sins of those gathered to stone the woman caught in adultery. He
then asked that the one without sin should cast the first stone. (The first
stones were to be thrown by the witnesses).
In either case, Jesus should
not have been able to commute her sentence without going against the law so he
uses his knowledge of people’s hearts to have the charges withdrawn. As we saw in the first reading, two accusers
are required to condemn a person under the law.
The story continues that after his second set of writings in the
dust, the group gathered to stone the woman; “…they went away one by one,
beginning with the elders”. Even, or more importantly first, the elders left.
No one was without sin. In the closing statement Jesus does something
unexpected. He does not judge the woman either, rather he tells her to go and
sin no more emphasizing that Jesus came into the world not to judge it but
through his presence save it.
CCC: Jn 8:2 583
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Reflection:
Today we ask a speculative
question; what do you suppose Jesus wrote on the ground with his finger? The stage is set. Jesus is in the temple area teaching. The religious leaders who have been looking
for a means by which he could be arrested decide to set a fool-proof trap for
him; they bring him a woman who has been convicted of adultery and sentenced to
death under the Law of Moses (…would you prefer strangulation or
stoning?).
The logic of the scribes and
Pharisees was, if Jesus, well known for his mercy and forgiveness, pardoned
her; he would have gone against the Law of Moses and they would have grounds to
arrest him. If he condemned her, they
would lay her death at his feet (as the death of St. Stephen was laid at the
feet of Saul (St. Paul
Instead of taking either
side; guilt or innocence, Jesus begins writing on the ground with his
finger. What, we wonder, did he
write? There has been much speculation
about this. The most common belief is
that he was writing the sins committed by the woman’s accusers – the witnesses
against her. The details of what those
sins may have been are not recorded. The
results, however, were that those who attempted to defeat Jesus left.
The lesson of forgiveness is
hammered home in the final verses of the passage as the Lord neither condemns
the woman nor condones her actions.
Under the Law of Moses, for a person to be found guilty of a crime, two
witnesses must testify to the guilt of the accused. In this case, there were none left and the
woman was free to go. Was she guilty of
adultery? No statement of guilt or
innocence is mentioned (it is interesting, however, when this story is
described in reference it is called “The Story of the Adulterous Woman”
inferring a presumption of guilt).
The next time we feel as
though someone has wronged us and presume to punish them with angry words or
legal action, let us envision the Lord calmly stooping down to write in the
dirt with his finger. We as Christians
are called to a forgiveness that the Lord died for. Can we do less for others?
Pax
[1]
ALTRE
[2]
The picture is “Jesus and the Adulterous Woman” by Pieter van Lint, c. 1650s
[3]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the
Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This
re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4]
The Navarre Bible: “Major Prophets”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002,
pp. 873
[5]
See NAB footnote on Psalm 23
[6]
Ibid
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