LOST IN LUST

 Meditation for Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent

(Daniel 13:1-9-62; Jn 8:1-11)

The readings of today present the story two different women accused of adultery. In the first reading, Susanna was innocent of the accusation leveled against her by the two elders. But in the gospel, the woman that was bought to Jesus was caught in the act of adultery. Lust and impurity have never been less destructive of man; it burns like wild fire, consuming very right judgment and goodness on its way. The readings highlight how lust clouds human judgement, such that he perceives even life itself from the view of the intending pleasure. That is why when it is not tamed, the person consumed with lust begins to see his neighbor, friend or partner as an object of pleasure. And he justifies himself in channeling his resources and energy in that direction.

The two elders seemed helpless as all their sense of judgment was taken over by lust. The scribes and Pharisees lost sense of human dignity and the virtue of fair judgment as the saw only adultery in the woman. Think about the lustful elders who planed death for the innocent Susanna. What benefit would her death be to them? Their lustful desire became more important to them than the life of the innocent woman. They graduated from selfish desire for pleasure to wicked murderers. In the same way, the guilty scribes and Pharisees picked up stones against the woman that was caught in the act of adultery. Had they succeeded, would they have solved the problem of adultery since they too were guilty? St. Paul warns that we should flee from sexual immorality. “Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the person who is sexually immoral sins against his own body” (1 Cor 6:18).

 

Then, Daniel comes to judgement and exposes the wickedness of the elders and sets Susanna free. Jesus wrote on the ground and exposed the guilty conscience of the scribes and Pharisees. “They went away, one by one, beginning with the eldest, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing with Him.” He set her free and admonished her, saying, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and do not sin again.” On this issue of sexual immorality, sometimes we might be burning with lust like the elders, or we might be falsely accused like Susanna. Some other times we be pointing fingers and condemning those we judged to be guilty like the scribes and Pharisees, or we might be caught up in the scandal and are truly guilty like the woman that was brought to Jesus. In all, once we are ‘lost in lust’, we cannot have right judgment unless we have the ‘mind of Christ’ and allow Him to be the true judge. We cannot excuse ourselves and justify ourselves; Jesus is our justification. So, we come to Him with a humble and contrite heart, and implore His mercy. Then, He shall set us free, and set us aright. Amen.

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Ojo, Lagos.

Monday March 27^th, 2023.

www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

26^th Lenten Mediation