5th Sunday of Lent (Cycle “C”)
March 25, 2007

Q. 416: What ever happened to the concept of “tough love”? Jesus seems to be making it too easy for the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11).

A. 416: I remember my friend Fr. Jerry Fuller (†) saying once that those who hate the Catholic Church (or at least try to ridicule the Church) always point to our Sacrament of Reconciliation (“Confession”). They allege that we Catholics sin with abandon; go confess our sins every Saturday; and then we are free to sin all over again! They are unable to fathom how sinners can really feel sorry for their sins, confess them, and then fall into sin again.

You don’t have to be a bishop or a doctor of philosophy to recognize that Jesus came to save us all, and that he accomplished our salvation by dying for our sins. Even on the cross, instead of turning against his torturers in anger, he spoke words of forgiveness: “Father, forgive them; they know not what they do!”

The most obvious characteristic of this God of ours, manifested in Jesus Christ, is his loving mercy. It overwhelmed the mind of St. Paul so much, as he stood in awe of such a merciful God, that he was compelled more than once to teach the stupendous fact that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (e.g., Rom. 5:7-8). The history of the Israelites through the centuries, as demonstrated in the Old Testament, is one of repeated failures in observing the Covenant. Catholics (and all humans, for that matter) also fail repeatedly, even after being forgiven over and over by the sacramental grace of God. There is the constant challenge: to “go and sin no more,” just like the adulterous woman was counseled by Jesus. Then come those soothing words of relief, “neither do I condemn you”! This is what true forgiveness is all about. We must forgive, perhaps giving that person another chance to hurt us again. Isn’t that what Jesus did for each one of us? It yields a different understanding of “tough love.”

Know Your Catechism! It is through the sacrament of Penance that the baptized can be reconciled with God and with the Church (CCC #980). This sacrament is necessary for salvation for those who have “fallen” after Baptism (Council of Trent).

Deacon Paul Rooney
Mary Our Queen Parish, Omaha

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