Reflection for April 6, 2025

Fifth Sunday of Lent (C) 

Isaiah 43:16-21 | Psalm 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6 | Philippians 3:8-14 | John 8:1-11

​As we stand just one week away from Holy Week, the Church invites us to reflect on the power of mercy and transformation. When others wrong us, our first instinct is often anger or a desire for justice. But today’s Gospel challenges us to look beyond our emotions and respond with the same forgiveness that God offers us. This Fifth Sunday of Lent reminds us to let go of resentment, choose what is right, and become instruments of God’s love in the way we treat others.

​After two years of being single after her long-term boyfriend cheated on her, Gail excitedly shared a story with her friends. "Hey, today was amazing!" she said. Curious, one of her friends asked, "What happened?" "I ran into my ex today!" she replied. Another friend immediately asked, "Wait… you're not getting back together, are you?" "Of course not! We haven’t talked in years, and I don’t even have his number," Gail assured them. Still confused, another friend asked, "Then what’s so great about seeing him again?" Gail grinned and said, "Well… I was in my car!"

Letting go of the past is never easy. When life takes an unexpected turn—when we experience loss, failure, or hardship—our instinct is to cling to memories of better days. We look back on moments of joy, stability, and abundance, longing for what once was. This was exactly how the Israelites felt during their exile in Babylon. They were discouraged and broken, wondering if they still had a future as God's chosen people.  

But through the prophet Isaiah, God reminds them—and us—that dwelling on the past can prevent us from seeing the new things He is preparing. "See, I am doing something new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?" (Isaiah 43:19). God is not calling us to forget the past completely but to stop being stuck in it. The exodus from Egypt was a great miracle, but He had an even greater exodus in store. The same is true for us—if we keep looking back, we might miss the new blessings and opportunities God is putting before us. Moving on doesn’t mean ignoring our struggles or pretending they never happened. It means trusting that God is leading us to something better. He is making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. If we let go of our attachments to what was, we open our hearts to what can be. So let us move forward, locked in hope, knowing that God is always at work, preparing something new for us.

Junie was just seven years old when his family received the devastating news—his little heart was failing him. This was long before modern technology could provide clear answers, but the irregular beats of his fragile heart whispered a cruel fate: he wasn’t expected to live long. Fate, or perhaps something greater, led his family to the doorstep of Dr. Ramiro Cruz, a brilliant yet hardened heart surgeon in their small city. Nearing retirement, Dr. Cruz had long since closed his doors to pediatric cases, his gruff exterior shielding a heart weary from years of life-and-death battles. But something about the desperate pleas of Junie’s parents softened him just enough to say yes. After examining Junie, Dr. Cruz knew there was no other way—surgery was the only option, and the risks were enormous. The boy’s heart was in terrible condition. Looking into Junie’s bright, trusting eyes, he leveled with him, “Junie, I’m going to try to fix your heart. I’ll have to cut it open, but I don’t know what I’ll find.” Without a hint of fear, the little boy’s face lit up. “Don’t worry, Doc,” he said with a grin, “when you cut open my heart, you’ll find Jesus, ‘cause He lives there.” The old doctor was taken aback. He had long abandoned any faith he once had, hardened by the pain and loss he had witnessed in his career. But Junie’s words, so simple yet so full of certainty, stirred something in him. In the days leading up to the surgery, Dr. Cruz tried to prepare the boy for the gravity of the situation, warning him of the risks over and over again. But every time, Junie met him with the same unwavering smile and the same unshakable faith. “Don’t worry, Doc. When you cut my heart open, you’ll find Jesus, ‘cause He lives there.” When the day of the operation arrived, Dr. Cruz looked at the small boy one last time as they wheeled him into the operating room. He searched for the right words, but all he could manage was, “Be brave, Junie. When I open your heart, I don’t know what I will find.” Junie just beamed, his voice as sure as ever. “Don’t worry, Doc. When you cut my heart open, you’ll find Jesus, ‘cause He lives there.” Hours later, Dr. Cruz stood in the waiting room, his heart heavier than it had been in a long, long time. The surgery had failed. Junie’s tiny body could not endure the battle. The doctor, who had delivered countless tragic news before, now found himself struggling for words. The boy’s parents, shaken yet still clinging to faith, searched for something—anything—to hold onto. With a trembling voice, Junie’s father asked, “Doc… when you opened his heart, what did you find?” For the first time in many years, a crack appeared in the old surgeon’s armor. His lips quivered into the smallest of smiles, and a single tear slipped down his cheek. “I believe… I found Jesus.” And in that moment, for the first time in so very long, Dr. Ramiro Cruz wept.

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul shares the profound transformation that took place in his life after encountering Jesus. Once, he was consumed by the belief that strict adherence to the law was the path to righteousness. He was so zealous in this pursuit that he even persecuted the early followers of Christ. But everything changed when he met the Risen Lord. Paul came to realize that righteousness is not about rigidly following rules—it is about knowing, loving, and serving Jesus. This realization brought him into a completely new way of living. A life in Christ is not just about small adjustments or minor improvements—it is about walking in utter newness. This newness gives us a fresh perspective, a renewed purpose, and a deeper joy that is not based on our achievements but on our relationship with Jesus. Paul describes this new way of life as pressing forward, straining toward what lies ahead, and letting go of what is behind. In the same way, when we allow Christ to transform us, we are no longer bound by past failures, old identities, or misplaced priorities. Instead, we move forward with eyes fixed on Him, trusting that He is leading us to something greater. To live in Christ is to embrace this newness every day—to let go of what holds us back, to seek Him above all else, and to press on with faith, knowing that true righteousness comes not from what we do but from who we are in Him.

Where sin is abundant, God's grace is even greater. Bob grew up in Manila, where he started using and selling marijuana to fit in. His life quickly spiraled into addiction to shabu, stealing from his family, and being repeatedly jailed. Despite his family’s attempts to help him, Bob’s vices deepened, and he disconnected completely from his faith. But everything changed when he attended an evangelization session with the Neocatechumenal Way. During World Youth Day in 1995, he heard St. Pope John Paul II’s words: “Courage, courage. Do not be afraid,” and it felt like a call to him personally. Soon after, Bob's legal issues were unexpectedly resolved, and in 1997, he was invited to World Youth Day in Paris. There, he found himself surprisingly in the same room with the Pope he had heard speak a couple of years earlier, and it was there that he felt God's calling to the priesthood. In 2008, after years of transformation, Bob was ordained a priest. Today, he serves as a parish priest at Santa Monica Parish in Tondo and leads a community-based rehab program for drug dependents. Fr. Roberto Dela Cruz' life shows that no matter how lost someone may feel, one encounter with Jesus can change everything, offering hope and a new beginning.

In today’s Gospel, we witness a powerful moment of transformation in the life of a woman caught in the act of adultery. The religious leaders bring her before Jesus, trying to trap Him with a question that would force Him to choose between two unthinkable options: uphold the law and condemn her to death, or defy the law and risk being accused of breaking it. The situation seemed impossible, but Jesus, as always, responded in a way no one expected. Rather than answering their question directly, Jesus chose to confront the hypocrisy of the accusers. He bent down, wrote the Ten Commandments on the ground, and then uttered those famous words: “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” One by one, the accusers left, realizing their own guilt. In this moment, Jesus didn’t just save the woman from death; He showed her—and all who witnessed the scene—that God’s love and mercy far outweigh the rigid judgment of the law. This encounter reveals that it only takes one moment with Jesus to radically alter the course of a person’s life. For the woman, it was not just an escape from a tragic fate, but an invitation to a new life. Jesus didn’t condemn her, but instead offered a chance for repentance and change, telling her to "go, and from now on do not sin again." What a profound message for all of us! Jesus, in His deep compassion, offers us the opportunity for transformation, no matter what we’ve done in the past. It’s not about being perfect or free from sin; it’s about encountering the grace and love of God that empowers us to begin anew. One encounter with Jesus has the power to change everything, to restore hope, and to guide us toward a life of purpose and righteousness. This is the heart of the Gospel—the invitation to be made new through Christ’s love.

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