The Fifth Sunday in Lent: The Call to Integrity

JESUS AND THE WOMAN CAUGHT IN ADULTERY.
Image from catholica.com.au

"Let him who has no sin cast the first stone."

- John 8:7b

It's the Fifth Sunday of Lent and we are confronted today with the question of integrity: Do I deserve to cast the first stone at someone who is a sinner?

Let us remember that integrity is the consistency of one's beliefs, words and actions and very much opposed with hypocrisy which is having inconsistency among the three. 

It's Election period in the Philippines and the national candidates have already started campaigning while local candidates would soon begin their own right after the Holy Week. As of now we have already witnessed through the various media and, for many, personally about the casting of stones at each other being done by the candidates. It's the usual thing that happens in a campaign, and even before and after the elections. But it's of course very common during the election period.

But let us not only focus on the candidates. We, the voters and non-voters alike, the ordinary people who walk upon this earth each day the earth revolves, we are called to respond to the question we posted above: Do I deserve to cast the first stone at a sinner? We said that it is all about integrity and perhaps other things too. But let us focus on the significance of integrity before we cast the first stone for that's what the Lord demands from us: ANYONE WHO HAS NO SIN, ANYONE WHO IS NOT GUILTY could cast the first stone!

In order to answer this question, let us first clarify the issue: it is about ADULTERY. And what is adultery? Google lists its synonyms as fornication, misconduct and infidelity. It is the carnal or sexual relationship of a married person with someone who is not that person's spouse. For more understanding of this meaning proceed here. For Christians, the Lord gives adultery a stricter meaning: "Anyone who looks at a woman with lust already commits adultery with her in his heart" [Matthew 5:28]. So we go back to our question: Do I deserve to cast the first stone at a sinner?

Since the Lord has made a broader definition of adultery to include the lustful look of a man upon a woman, the same thing will now be applied to the casting of the stone: we no longer limit to the actual casting of stone but perhaps even the mere verbal, written, even mental attack on another person.

We have discussed previously that we should never judge or condemn someone. Judging and condemning others are tantamount to casting the stone. The Bible clearly states that we are all sinners and we all need the mercy of God [see Romans 3:23]. Hence no one can say that he or she deserves to cast a stone upon another, especially the first stone! 

Because one way or another, we all commit sin or omit doing good things which is also tantamount to sinning. And if ever someone is so holy that he or she never commits any sin intentionally I doubt it if that person would not consider that the sinner is still a child of God and deserves mercy rather than being stoned. So, whether one belongs to the great number of Christians who still sin or among the elite host of saintly men and women, still the casting of stone would be questioned. For sinners like most of us, it is a challenge to meditate on the significance of integrity; for those who are exerting effort to avoid committing sin intentionally, it is a trial that would strengthen one's resolve to sustain such integrity.

So ask one more time yourself if you ever have the right - even a mere privilege - of casting the, especially first, stone! Among those who were condemning the adulterous woman, no one dared cast the first stone, starting with the eldest to the youngest who were present. 

During this period of reflection when we are called to repent and return to God, let us continuously ask ourselves if we deserve or will ever deserve to cast the first, perhaps even the next or the last, stone. For surely, sinners won't dare do so - at least publicly - while saints won't even think of it. 

Once again, let us meditate on this: do we have the integrity to even consider casting the first stone against our neighbors?