The Dawn of a New Self
Julián Carrón - We heard in the first reading from the prophet Isaiah: “Do not remember past events, do not think about what was done before! See, I am doing something new: it is sprouting now, can you not see it?” Where can we see this sprout, which may seem insignificant but speaks to us of the newness that has entered history? Consider the woman brought to Jesus to be stoned. What would she say about this newness?
Jesus, faced with those who appealed to the old ways to condemn her—saying, “This woman was caught in the act of committing adultery. Moses says in the law that she should be stoned. What do you say?”—seemed not to want to enter into this dispute. Bending down, he began to write on the ground with his finger, challenging everyone. Then he said, “Let him who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” One after another, they left, each aware of their own sinfulness.
Then Jesus turned to the woman and said, “Has no one condemned you? [...] Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
What would that woman say about the newness that the prophet Isaiah speaks of? Where does she see the “new thing”? Where does this bud appear to her? Almost no one knew about it at the time; it didn’t appear in the newspapers or historical records, but that small event made her experience the newness that Jesus brought into life and history. For each of us, ever since, no matter our situation, this newness can enter our lives, bringing peace and making us feel seen in a way that no one else has ever looked at us. This is the essence of the newness.
Who can understand it? Someone like St. Paul, who was a fierce defender of the law that could have led to that woman’s stoning and who had tried to kill Christians until the resurrected Christ appeared to him on the road to Damascus. From that moment, he had to rethink everything. He now considered everything he previously valued as loss compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ. He said, “I consider these things rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him,” not with a righteousness from his own performance, but from faith in Christ, by making room for Him in his life.
Therefore, just as St. Paul’s entire life was determined by this newness, so too can ours be shaped by Christ’s tender gaze upon each of us, whatever our situation, so that we can witness the power of his resurrection. By becoming conformed to his death, we hope to reach the resurrection of the dead. This is what determines our lives, as it did for St. Paul. He said, “I have not yet reached the goal, but I strive because I have been conquered by Christ Jesus. I forget the past and strain towards the future, to attain the prize of God’s upward calling in Christ Jesus.”
There is no better news than this: the presence that God has placed in history frees each of us from fear. Since then, Christ continues to be present among us to liberate us from anxiety, anguish, and fear that sometimes assail our lives and prevent us from enjoying life—the happiness for which God created us. Jesus had to come so that life could recover all its splendor! Otherwise, we would always be slaves to worries that crowd our minds, leaving us trapped by anxieties that hinder us from fully enjoying life.
Let us ask to welcome this presence, as that woman did, as St. Paul did, so that our lives can reach the fullness and peace we all desire.
Notes from the homily by Julián Carrón
April 6, 2025
(First Reading: Is 43:16-21; Psalm 125 (126); Second Reading: Phil 3:8-14; Gospel: Jn 8:1-11)
