3rd Sunday of Lent
The moral of the story is.....
Readings for 3rd Sunday of Lent:
Reading 1 Exodus 17:3-7
Psalm Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9
Reading 2 Romans 5:1-2, 5-8
Gospel John 4:5-42
REFLECTIONS:… from Father Daniel We have all experienced thirst; we all know what happens to our fields when it doesn’t rain. The first reading and the Gospel speak to us of water. In the desert the people of Israel survived because God provided water for them. In the Gospel Jesus speaks of a new water, a new life that he wants to give us. The second reading shows why we should trust and be joyful because no one will be deprived of this water.
In today’s Gospel, we experience the tenderness and compassion of Jesus as he encounters the Samaritan woman. Initially, the women’s response sounded rather cold. Because Jews and Samaritans did not get along with each other. But, Jesus helps her come to an awareness of her needs, of her true thirst. It is interesting to see how her faith grew, moving from her seeing Jesus as a man who was thirsty to being an Apostle to her neighbors in the village. She was willing to be open to what she could understand, and her openness led her to share with the people of her village what she had found. The moral of today’s Gospel story is that Jesus will draw anyone who is willing to be open with him, anyone who makes time to converse with him, he will draw that person into a deeper and deeper relationship with himself. We cannot move ahead in our spiritual journey without spending time with him. It is only in God that we can experience the living waters that can satisfy. Like the Samaritan woman, once we have known his love, we must share it with others who might be open to it. Always pray to have: Eyes that see the best in people. A heart that forgives the worst. A mind that forgets the bad, and a soul that never loses faith in God. Therefore, learn to see people for what they are, not who you want them to be.
