The Popish Plot
"Women's History Month: Saint Gianna Beretta Molla: A Saint for More Reasons Than How She Died"
'Tis the Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent (meaning "Spring;" the Latin name is Quadragesima, meaning "fortieth"): Quadragesima-link & Wikipedia-link Quadragesima.
Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent
The Book of Daniel, chapter thirteen, verses one thru nine, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, nineteen thru thirty, & thirty-three thru sixty-two;
or, the Book of Daniel, chapter thirteen, verses forty-one(c) thru sixty-two;
Psalm Twenty-three (R/. four[a/b]), verses one, two, & three(a); three(b) & four; five; & six;
The Gospel according to John, chapter eight, verses one thru eleven.
Friends, today’s Gospel presents the story of the woman caught in adultery, which is one of the clearest demonstrations of what René Girard called the scapegoat mechanism.Video reflection by Monsignor James Vlaun (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops): Daily Reflection.
The scribes and Pharisees bring to Jesus a woman who had been caught in adultery. The novelty of the Gospel is revealed in Jesus’ refusal to contribute to the energy of the gathering storm: “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Jesus directs the energy of scapegoating violence back toward the accusers. He unveils the dangerous secret that the unstable order of the society has been predicated upon scapegoating. The Church Fathers emphasized this point with a neat interpretive move: they imagined that Jesus was writing in the sand none other than the sins of those who were threatening the woman.
Then we see, at least in seminal form, the new order: “Go, and from now on do not sin any more.” The connection between Jesus and the woman is not the consequence of condemnation but rather the fruit of forgiveness offered and accepted.
Reflect: Reflect on the prevalence of scapegoating in contemporary culture. Think especially about the times when you have been guilty of singling out an individual or some group as a scapegoat
Video reflection by Curtis Mitch (St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology): Daily Reflection.
Archbishop Sheen Quote o' the Day
"Lenten practices of giving up pleasures are a good reminder that the purpose of life is not pleasure. The purpose of life is to attain a perfect life, all truth & undying ecstatic love—which is the definition of God. In pursuing that happiness, we find happiness."
—Ven. Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)
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