First Reading

A reading from the Book of Isaiah (43:16-21)

Thus says the Lord, who opens a way in the sea and a path in the mighty waters, who leads out chariots and horsemen, a powerful army, till they lie prostrate together, never to rise, snuffed out and quenched like a wick.

Remember not the events of the past, the things of long ago consider not; see I am doing something new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?

In the desert I make a way, in the wasteland, rivers. Wild beasts honor me, jackals and ostriches, for I put water in the desert and rivers in the wasteland for my chosen people to drink, the people whom I formed for myself, that they might announce my praise.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalms of David (126: 1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6)

(R) The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

When the Lord brought back the captives of Zion, we were like men dreaming. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with rejoicing. (R)

Then they said among the nations, "The Lord had done great things for them." - The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad indeed. (R)

Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like the torrents in the southern desert. Those that sow in tears shall reap rejoicing. (R)

Although they go forth weeping, carrying the seed to be sown, they shall come back rejoicing, carrying their sheaves. (R)

Second Reading

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Philippians (3:8-14)

Brothers and sisters: I consider everything as loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things and I consider them so much rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having any righteousness of my own based on the law but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God, depending on faith to know him and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by being conformed to his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

It is not that I have already taken hold of it or have already attained perfect maturity, but I continue my pursuit in hope that I may possess it, since I have indeed been taken possession of my Christ Jesus.

Brothers and sisters, I for my part do not consider myself to have taken possession. Just one thing: forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what lies ahead, I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God's upward calling, in Christ Jesus.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Gospel

Gospel Acclamation

(R) Alleluia, alleluia!

Even now says the Lord, return to me with your whole heart; for I am gracious and merciful. (R)

A reading from the Gospel according to John (8:1-11)

Jesus went out to the Mount of Olives. But early in the morning he arrived again in the temple area, and all the people started coming to him, and he sat down and taught them.

Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her stand in the middle. They said to him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?" They said this to test him, so that they could have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger. But when they continued asking him, he straightened up and said to them, "Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." Again he bent down and wrote on the ground. And in response they went away one by one, beginning with the elders. So he was left alone with the woman before him. Then Jesus straightened up and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" She replied, "No one, sir," Then Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more."

(P) The Gospel of the Lord.
(R) Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily

A poor man was grumbling against God. Someone said to him if he stood outside a church he could make some extra money every day. So the next day the poor man eagerly put on tattered clothes, went to a church and stood outside. By the end of the day, all he had collected were a few coins. In sheer disgust, he decided to have a drink and walked towards a convenience store. As he was approaching the store, a group of people, quite drunk, came out of a bar nearby. Upon seeing the poor man, one of them thrust a hundred dollar bill in his hand. "Oh, Almighty God," the poor man said looking up to heaven, "Strange are your ways. You give me one address but live in another."

This story reminds us that we could be worshipping God and observing all religious practices without truly knowing Him. We all have professed our faith in Jesus. We have been baptized in his name. We have become members of the church he has founded. We have read or heard about him through scriptures and fellow believers. However, the question before us today is this: Do we really know Jesus Christ? And how much do we know him? The question is not as absurd and strange as some of you might think.

Saint Paul in his letter to the Philippians describes his own personal experience of knowing Jesus Christ. For Paul, knowing Jesus Christ is more than accumulating facts about him - where Jesus was born; how many disciples he had; where he died and so on. For Paul, first of all, knowing Jesus Christ means having a personal and intimate relationship with him. In today's text the use of the word "I" (a first person pronoun) and the word "my" (a first person possessive pronoun) a number of times suggests that Paul feels very close to Jesus Christ. He looks back to his past and then compares it with his life as a Christian. Who was he? And what was his past? Paul was formerly known as Saul of Tarsus. He was a well-educated Jew. He was trained by a highly respected Jewish teacher of the time. He was a zealous Pharisee who strictly followed Jewish laws and traditions. He was part of the group who called themselves the righteous. He was the chief persecutor of the early Christians and he was a Roman citizen. Re-evaluating his entire life - his past experiences, his present life and his goals for the future - he realizes how precious Jesus Christ is to him and how closely he is associated with him. He no longer worries about things, such as honor, power and fame, things important to his fellow Jews and used to be with him. For him, knowing Jesus Christ surpasses all other things. To him Jesus is worth more than anything else in the world.

He says, "I consider everything as loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things and I consider them so much rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him." Paul considers his own knowledge, social status, privileges, material things and achievements as nothing but a loss. He regards them worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Jesus Christ. All his attention is on the life of Jesus Christ. He willingly gives up everything to gain Jesus Christ and be in Jesus Christ. He wants to be in Jesus Christ as much as Jesus Christ is in him. The value Paul places on his relationship with Jesus Christ reminds us of the words of Jesus of himself. In Matthew 16:25-26, "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profits a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for saving his soul?" Are we willing to do whatever God requires of us, pay whatever the price or the cost to gain Jesus Christ, our Lord? What are we willing to give in exchange for saving our soul? What joy do we have in knowing Jesus Christ?

Secondly, to Paul, knowing Jesus Christ means seeking righteousness through faith in Him and not just by observing the laws and performing religious and charitable acts. Righteousness based on the law is seeking a reward for acting god like without actually knowing God. Righteousness means that you are right with God. It is a reminder for us that we cannot get right with God or to be saved through our own efforts and religious practices. We are saved because Jesus Christ has already paid the price for our sin.

Thirdly, to Paul, knowing Jesus Christ means sharing his suffering, death and resurrection, in other words as he says, "Depending on faith to know him and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by being conformed to his death." Paul strives to know Jesus Christ by sharing in his suffering and dying with him. He believes if only he shared in Jesus' suffering, he would also rise from the dead. Paul desires to be conformed to Jesus Christ. In other words, he feels it is not enough to know Christ, to gain Christ, to magnify Christ, to be in Christ but also he wishes to be like Christ. So he joyfully accepts all the suffering that comes his way. Paul's life of sharing is a testimony of his faith. He was beaten, stoned, thrown into prison, and finally, was beheaded for Jesus Christ. Yes, Paul suffered with Jesus Christ. We are reminded that all believers must suffer like Jesus Christ to obtain peace, joy and everlasting life. Our Pope Francis in his first mass with cardinals two days ago said, "The path of the Church always entails difficulties, and Church leaders should be prepared to embrace them." He explained that "when we walk without the Cross, when we build without the Cross, when we profess a Christ without the Cross… we aren't disciples of the Lord." He also warned the cardinals that in this case: "We are worldly. We are bishops, priests, cardinals, popes, but not disciples of the Lord." The message can be applied to every Christian. Can we suffer like and with Jesus Christ and then rise with him?

Lastly, for Paul, knowing Jesus Christ means standing firm in our faith in Jesus Christ. He says, "I do not consider myself to have taken possession: Just one thing: forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what lies ahead, I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God's upward calling, in Christ Jesus." Imagine! Paul, who desires to be conformed to Jesus' suffering and death, says that he has yet to take possession of Jesus. It reminds us that it is not simple and easy to possess Jesus Christ. It is very hard to follow him. Jesus himself says that the path to him is narrow. Therefore, Paul advises us not to look back. He warns us of the distractions of this world which may prevent us from reaching our spiritual goal. He calls on us to look ahead and strive toward that goal with all our strength and then at the end of the race, God will give us eternal life and peace. It is fitting that at this time of preparation for Easter, we truly come to know Jesus and be closely connected with His suffering, death and resurrection.

(P) Amen.

God Bless You!

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