Fifth Sunday of Lent
Scripture:
Isaiah 43:16-21
Philippians 3:8-14
John 8: 1-11
Reflection:
In Paul’s letter to the people of Philippi, the remarkable apostle to the Gentiles captures what I feel in moments of deep connection to Christ.
These moments can come when I spend extended time in prayer. But I also feel this connection in surprises, like when the entire family stands around the dining table before a holiday meal to hold hands in thankful prayer, or when I am absorbed in a beautiful Sunday Mass, or sit in my garden and pull weeds, feeling the cool breeze wash my face in the sun light.
There are other times when I experience a great chasm between Christ and me. Without warning, these occur when an idea, a worry, an object, a feeling, or another person, becomes more important than my love of Christ. I am then beholden to “rubbish”, in Paul’s words.
Ignatius, in his profound Spiritual Exercises, tells us an indifference sets the stage to experience to Christ’s presence in our lives:
In our everyday life . . . we must hold ourselves in balance before all created gifts insofar as we have a choice and are not bound by some responsibility. We should not fix our desires on health or sickness, wealth or poverty, success or failure, a long life or a short one. For everything has the potential of calling forth in us a more loving response to our life forever with God. Our only desire and our one choice should be this: I want and I choose what better leads to God’s deepening life in me.
One remarkable Jesuit spiritual director, the late Mike Brophy, SJ, called this “poised freedom.” We are free to meet Christ every day in people, places, and events.
Jesus reveals his own poised freedom in today’s Gospel. The top-flight Jewish leaders want to catch him messing with Mosaic law to justify his expulsion from their faith community. Bringing to him a woman caught in adultery, Jesus is Mr. Cool. He bends down and doodles in the dust. It is like playing with one’s cell phone while someone is trying to get your attention on a life-or-death issue.
Jesus is confident, at peace with himself. The men in authority don’t ruffle him, nor does the legal issue at hand disturb his inner serenity. He doodles. He waits. He makes a comment at the right moment. He is totally aligned with his Father’s will. He experiences poised freedom.
Cultivating poised freedom in ourselves requires the total commitment to Christ of which Paul speaks. It is something that grace alone permits.
To ask for this grace is appropriate during this time of Lent.
I certainly welcome moments when Christ breaks into my life with surprises. But entering periods of prayer with a detached mind can make space for grace to elevate daily routines to be foretastes of heaven.
Pull away from all that distracts you today. Place yourself in the presence of God. Experience poised freedom that gives you peace and joy. It is there for the asking.
Jim Wayne is a member of St Agnes Catholic Community in Louisville, Kentucky, a Passionist parish. He served in the Kentucky House of Representatives for 28 years, is the author of the award winning novel, The Unfinished Man, and is a clinical social worker.