|
Loving
the Sinner
March
28, 2004
Fr.
George Smiga
John
8:1-11
Hate
the sin. Love the sinner. We have heard this expression hundreds
of times but it still rings true. It succinctly identifies
a central teaching of Jesus. Hate the sin. Love the sinner.
Today's gospel might be seen as a dramatic enactment of that
saying. The sin in the story is clear. The woman was caught
in the very act of adultery. Everyone in the story, hates
the sin: the crowd, the leaders, Jesus, even the woman herself.
They are all united in hating the sin. There is a disagreement,
however, on what to do with the sinner. Some believe that
she should be executed, stoned for her crime. Jesus believes
that she should not. As we watch this story unfold, three
things emerge: a principle, a qualification, and a command.
The
principle is this: No person should be equated with his or
her sin. People are responsible for their sins, but no person
should be defined simply by the sins they commit. Jesus sees
the sin of the woman but he sees something more. He also sees
the part of the woman that remains good, the part that could
change, the hope that things could be different. This basic
insight of Jesus has been reflected through subsequent centuries
in Catholic teaching. For Catholics believe that the dignity
and worth of every person remains despite the crimes or sins
they may commit. Regardless of the horrible things that people
do, we continue to believe that the image of God within them
is never completely erased.
This
is why the consistent teaching in the Catholic tradition has
been that the taking of human life, even when legally justified,
is only a last resort. This is why our present pope has spoken
tirelessly throughout his pontificate against capital punishment,
why he routinely appeals in almost every execution that the
life of the criminal be spared. You might remember that John
Paul II appealed for the life of Timothy McVeigh. Why? Because
the Pope believed in Jesus' fundamental principle: No person
can be completely defined by his or her sin. There always
remains a part of every person that is good, a part that can
be loved.
Now
this is a real challenge to us who would follow Christ. Because
when people attack us, when people hurt us, we are strongly
inclined to simply see them as bad people, as people without
any worth or value. Yet the teaching of Jesus reminds us that
there is more, that there remains in each person a dignity
and value that cannot be taken away. We are challenged to
find that value. Because it is only in claiming that hidden
goodness that we can ever get beyond our hurt, ever reconcile
ourselves to what has happened, ever find the power to forgive.
The fundamental principle, then, is that no person can be
equated with his or her sin.
That
leads us to the qualification. The qualification is: we must
protect ourselves. Even as we try to recognize the good that
remains in every person, we cannot be naïve and ignore
the harm that can come from a person's actions. We must take
steps to prevent people from blowing up buildings, from using
violence to attain their ends. We must take steps to protect
ourselves from those who would manipulate us and abuse us.
Jesus says to the woman, “Go, but from now on do not sin again.”
Jesus is not naïve about the power of sin and neither
should we be naïve.
So
as followers of Christ we are caught between a principle and
a qualification. We seek some way of making these two truths
work together. Even as we try to protect ourselves from the
actions of those who could harm us, the teaching of Jesus
propels us to keep looking for the goodness and the dignity
that remains in every human person. Therefore, as we try to
gauge our response to those who attack or hurt us, we must
do so with profound humility. We should never react in vengeance
or hatred. We should always limit our response to the absolute
minimum required to protect ourselves.
Yet
we are usually inclined to go further. Once we have taken
steps to protect ourselves, we still want to know if it is
valid to strike back at the one who has hurt us. This desire
leads to the command. Jesus says to those who challenge him,
“Let the one here who is without sin be the first to cast
a stone at her.” When we ask whether we can respond in violence
beyond the need to protect ourselves, Jesus says we can, but
only if we are without sin. That pretty much settles the matter,
doesn't it? Jesus has given us a command that we cannot follow,
for none of us are without sin ourselves. Clearly, if we would
follow his command, there will be no throwing of stones here.
|
