Homilies

March 10, 2008
Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent
Daniel 13: 1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62; John 8:1-11
Fr. Jerome Machar, OCSO

In a world of sham pretence and cosmetic appearance, we have to be vigilant. Since the information we get through the media is often superficial, incomplete or misleading, we have to resist the temptation to jump to quick and unfounded conclusions. Because what we read is not always accurate, we must be willing to reserve judgment until the whole truth comes to light - I know this will make for boring conversations! This demands an interior conversion to the love of God, so that we might come to know the Truth Who alone can set us free. We must be willing to conform ourselves to Christ Who died so that we might live as heirs of the Kingdom of the Father in Whom there is no falsehood.

This sacred season of Lent challenges us to be open to the truth. Anyone who refuses to accept this challenge runs the risk of closing in on himself or herself. The danger of such self-absorption is demonstrated in the story of the two judges who sought to destroy Susanna because she refused to surrender to their seductive advances. Prayer, fasting and the other disciplines of Lent are guarantees of openness to others. Those who free themselves for God and the fulfillment of His will, open themselves to others, to the brothers and sisters who knock at the door of their hearts and ask to be heard, ask for attention, for forgiveness, and sometimes for fraternal correction.

Do we allow ourselves to burn with the fire of uncontrolled passion or are we consumed by the fire of divine love? When we sublimate our baser drives and act out of love of God, we manifest the truth of our being: we have been created not for ourselves but for God and our brothers and sisters (cf. 2 Cor 5, 15). Every time when, for love of God, we show compassion for our neighbor in need, we discover that the fullness of life comes from love and all is returned to us as a blessing in the form of peace, inner satisfaction and joy. Our Father in heaven rewards every charitable act with His joy. What is more: Saint Peter includes among the spiritual fruits of almsgiving the forgiveness of sins: "Charity," he writes, "covers a multitude of sins" (1 Pt 4:8).

As the Lenten liturgy frequently suggests, God offers sinners the possibility of being forgiven. The act of sharing with the poor what we possess disposes us to receive the gift of reconciliation and forgiveness. I feel compelled to focus my attention on those who are overwhelmed by the burden of sins they have committed and feel far from God. Even though your sins are great, do not be fearful; never despair of God's mercy and love for you. Recall the words of God recorded in the Book of the prophet Isaiah. "Though your sins are like scarlet. They shall be made white as snow. Though you be stained red as crimson, I shall make you as white as wool" (Is. 1:18). By reaching out to others through almsgiving, we can draw closer to God. Acts of charity can become the instruments for authentic conversion and reconciliation with the Lord and with our brothers and sisters in the Lord.

Conversion is above all a grace. It is a gift that opens the human heart to God's infinite love. Because of His loving kindness and merciful love God anticipates our desire for conversion and supports our efforts toward full adherence to his saving will. Indeed, the sole delight that fills the human heart is the one that comes from being loved by God. Conversion, therefore, means listening to the words of Jesus and surrendering to His grace. "I do not condemn you. Go, (and) from now on do not sin any more" (Jn. 8:11). If The Lord forgives us, who can condemn us; it is God who knows the deepest longings of the human heart (Cf. 1 Jn 3:20). Let us surrender to the love of God and allow Christ to take possession of our hearts. During these last days of Lent let us humbly repent of our sins and conform our lives to the teaching of the Master. Straining to claim the prize, let us return with Christ to the Father. Allow me to close with a few lines from an oasis song: 

Lord, you have come to the seashore,
Neither searching for the rich nor the wise,
Desiring only that I should follow.
O Lord, with your eyes set upon me,
Gently smiling, you have spoken my name,
All I longed for I have found by the water,
At your side, I will seek other shores.

(John Paul II, Rise, let us be on our way, page 100)