fifth Sunday of lent April 7, 2019 Volume 3, Issue #15 Celebrant: Father Victor Ray I once met a woman who told me that the biggest crisis in her married life was the time she found out that her husband was unfaithful to her. He was having an affair with another woman for over a year. She was shattered and consulted a close friend who asked her one question. “Do you really love your husband still in spite of this?” When she answered that she did, her friend said she should confront her husband and tell him she was prepared to accept him back if that was how she felt. She did and now many years later the marriage is working well. But at that time it wasn’t easy and many would not have been surprised if she had refused to forgive her husband and had not given him another chance. She reminds me of today’s gospel that is primarily about who God is and how he treats us. Like the woman in the story Jesus gives the woman caught in adultery another chance. Instead of sending her to her death, Jesus sends her to life. Jesus is telling us as clearly as he can who God is and how he acts towards each one of us. We feel that if we do good we will earn or merit a heavenly reward and if we consistently do bad God will punish us. What Jesus is saying is ‘If I look on you with God’s gaze of love, with God’s forgiving attitude then you are totally and f reely loved and forgiven’. It is God who decides all this. We cannot make God’s love and forgiveness depend on our worthiness or goodness. What a misunderstanding of how God relates to us. Unfortunately, it is not our human experience. Many people often want to exact revenge or punish those who hurt or wrong them. Not so God – it is so far from the God Jesus is witnessing to. Of course, that does not mean if God loves me like that I can sin merrily. In fact it is the very opposite – realizing how very much God loves me so unconditionally I will try to respond by trying to please him. I will pray to be able to do the same to others as God does to me. Just as the woman in the story who forgave her husband. He later told a friend that having been forgiven by his wife he would spend the rest of his life responding to her marvelous love for him even though he didn’t deserve this because of his actions. Jesus does something for the woman that goes beyond the law. The law condemns, Jesus forgives. He shows how God deals with sinful people, that is, with each of us. He changes our view of God. At the same time he asks us to change our view of sinful people. Each one of us, no matter what our sins are, has the capacity to change. Our sins are not the sum total of who we are. They are parts of who we are, for sure. But God can do a new deed for and in all of us if we allow him. “Lord Jesus, thank you for showing to us again in this gospel that you have no interest in condemning us. You do not deny that we sin but you constantly give us new opportunities to change. Help us by your Holy Spirit to be ever ready to excuse others for their failings as you do ours. Amen”. Father Victor Ray Wisdom From Father Victor Ray
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ifth Sunday of lent · My God, my Savior has ransomed me, And like a flood His mercy reigns Unending love, amazing grace The Lord has promised good to me, His word my hope secures
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fifth Sunday of lent
April 7, 2019 Volume 3, Issue #15
Celebrant:
Father Victor Ray
I once met a woman who told me that the biggest crisis in her married life was the time she found out that her
husband was unfaithful to her. He was having an affair with another woman for over a year. She was shattered and
consulted a close friend who asked her one question. “Do you really love your husband still in spite of this?” When she
answered that she did, her friend said she should confront her husband and tell him she was prepared to accept him back
if that was how she felt. She did and now many years later the marriage is working well. But at that time it wasn’t easy
and many would not have been surprised if she had refused to forgive her husband and had not given him another
chance.
She reminds me of today’s gospel that is primarily about who God is and how he treats us. Like the woman in the
story Jesus gives the woman caught in adultery another chance. Instead of sending her to her death, Jesus sends her to
life. Jesus is telling us as clearly as he can who God is and how he acts towards each one of us. We feel that if we do
good we will earn or merit a heavenly reward and if we consistently do bad God will punish us. What Jesus is saying is
‘If I look on you with God’s gaze of love, with God’s forgiving attitude then you are totally and freely loved and
forgiven’. It is God who decides all this. We cannot make God’s love and forgiveness depend on our worthiness or
goodness. What a misunderstanding of how God relates to us. Unfortunately, it is not our human experience. Many
people often want to exact revenge or punish those who hurt or wrong them. Not so God – it is so far from the God
Jesus is witnessing to. Of course, that does not mean if God loves me like that I can sin merrily. In fact it is the very
opposite – realizing how very much God loves me so unconditionally I will try to respond by trying to please him. I will
pray to be able to do the same to others as God does to me. Just as the woman in the story who forgave her husband. He
later told a friend that having been forgiven by his wife he would spend the rest of his life responding to her marvelous
love for him even though he didn’t deserve this because of his actions.
Jesus does something for the woman that goes beyond the law. The law condemns, Jesus forgives. He shows how
God deals with sinful people, that is, with each of us. He changes our view of God. At the same time he asks us to
change our view of sinful people. Each one of us, no matter what our sins are, has the capacity to change. Our sins are
not the sum total of who we are. They are parts of who we are, for sure. But God can do a new deed for and in all of us
if we allow him.
“Lord Jesus, thank you for showing to us again in this gospel that you have no interest in condemning us. You do
not deny that we sin but you constantly give us new opportunities to change. Help us by your Holy Spirit to be ever
ready to excuse others for their failings as you do ours. Amen”.
Father Victor Ray
Wisdom From
Father Victor Ray
Let’s Pray For:
Abrams, Al
Hartwig, Bill
Hickman, Bp. Peter
Judi and Larry
Kovar, Lyn
Little, Ron
Marx, D.A.
For all of our Parishioners
that follow us through
Electronic Media. Prayers
for your specific request that
you have sent us.
For all those that need a
Prayer, Raise, your Right
Hand Toward Heaven and
know that the Parish of Saint
Teresa of Calcutta Catholic
Community is beside you in
your Prayer.
The Daily Prayer of Saint Teresa
Dear Jesus, help me to spread your fragrance everywhere I go. Flood my soul with your
spirit and love. Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly that all my life may only
be a radiance of You. Shine through me and be so in me that every soul I come in
contact with may feel Your presence in my soul. Let them look up and see no longer me
but only Jesus. Stay with me and then I shall begin to shine as you shine, so to shine as
to be a light to others. Amen.
Questions of the Week:
Where do you see God’s action in your life, family, or
parish bringing about something new? How has your
practice of fasting been this Lent? How has it enriched
or affected your relationship with God and others? How
have you experienced giving and receiving mercy in
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For all those Celebrations that I have missed, Forgive Me and I sincerely hope they were all Wonderful. Wishing you all the Happiness and Repeat of your Special Day!