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5th Week of Lent : Monday 30th March 2020

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  • 5th Week of Lent : Monday 30th March 2020

Lord, help me to seek the truth and show mercy and grace to others

5th Week of Lent : Monday 30th March 2020

Dan. 13:1-9,15-17,19-30,33-62 (or 13:41-62);
Ps. 23(22):1-4,5-6; Jn. 8:1-11 (Ps Wk I)

The story of Susanna affirms the ultimate justice of God. Susanna was an upright Jewish woman married to Joakim.

Two Israelite judges desired Susanna and devised a plan to trick her into allowing them to have their way with her. If she gave in to them, she would commit adultery; if she did not give in, they would accuse her of having a relationship with a young man. Either way, she would be executed.

Susanna refused and was charged by these two judges with having an affair with an unnamed young man. She was sentenced to death. Daniel didn’t believe the judges, so he separated them, and when he asked them a question, their stories were not the same. Susanna was found innocent, and the judges were executed.

Truth overcame evil. It is important to pursue the truth before judging.

The story of the woman taken in adultery also focusses on the justice of God as opposed to that of humans.

The Pharisees were using the woman’s situation to trap Jesus into denying the Law. Jesus ignored the trap, began writing in the sand and then invited those without sin to cast the first stone at the woman. The bystanders began to leave as they were forced to consider their own sinfulness.

Lord, help me to seek the truth and show mercy and grace to others.


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