God's salvation in the lives of two Women
March 18, 2024 - Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent
Daniel 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62 or 13:41c-62; Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6; John 8:1-11
The story of Susanna, accused by two old scoundrels of misbehaving, appears in the Catholic and Oriental Orthodox Churches' Old Testament. The Book of Daniel in the Jewish Bible ends with chapter 12, but in one of the ancient Greek translations of the Hebrew Bible, two more chapters appear at the end: the story of Susanna (Daniel 13) and a narrative called "Bel and the Dragon" that ridicules the worship of idols (chapter 14).
The story we hear today in the Gospel is not without textual problems either. This fragment of John's Gospel is entirely absent from all pre-fifth-century AD Greek manuscripts, and its style resembles the style of Luke rather than John. But the story was part of an oral tradition being told and retold among the early Christians until it finally found its place in the written text of John's Gospel.
Both stories deal with women accused of committing adultery. In the first case, the author makes it clear that the God-fearing Susanna was falsely accused. In the case of the Gospel, there is a possibility that the entire situation was a setup by the religious leaders of Jerusalem who were looking for "some charge to bring against him" (John 8:6). But in both cases, the accusing parties lost their case.
The scribes and the Pharisees claimed that “Moses commanded us to stone such women” (John 8:5). That was not exactly correct. First, according to Jewish law, the charge required eyewitnesses - (see Deut 22:22). Moreover, the witnesses should be honest and trustworthy (Deut. 19:15-20). In the story of Susanna, Daniel demonstrated that the witnesses were evil men who perverted justice for their benefit. In the case of the unknown woman from the Gospel, we do not have eyewitnesses. Furthermore, in the case of someone being caught in the very act of committing adultery, the law of Moses commanded to stone both of them - the man and the woman (see Deut. 22:22-24, Lev. 20:10). So, where is the man?
In between these two stories, the liturgy of the Word placed the "Shepherd's Psalm," Psalm 23. It presents God as the divine shepherd-king who leads his people to nourishment and safety, keeping them alive and protecting them from any danger during their journey through life. Both women experienced that protection. They were already nearing the valley of death (see Ps 23:4) when Daniel and Jesus interfered and prevented their death. The psalm had an incredible impact on the early Church. The Fathers of the Church saw in it the mystery of Christ and our faith. The psalm was so important that all the catechumens had to memorize it during the process of preparation for baptism, a sacrament that refreshes our souls and infuses into us a new life through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Both stories have a happy ending, and Psalm 23 ends with a hope of dwelling in "the house of the LORD for years to come" (Ps 23:6). We hope and pray that our journey of faith will end well as well. We hope and pray that we shall arrive at our destination, the heavenly Jerusalem, that new heaven and earth where there is no more sin, suffering, and death. In that house of the Lord, we shall dwell forever and ever. Amen.