_“Many Samaritans from that city
believed in him because of the woman's testimony, ‘He told me all that I ever
did.’” *(John 4:39)*_
On the first Sunday of Lent, we considered the Temptations of
Jesus, last Sunday, we reflected on the Transfiguration of Jesus, today is
the third Sunday of Lent, the day the church celebrates the First Scrutiny in
preparation for the Sacraments of Christian Initiation, we are invited to
ponder the encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan Woman.
Like this woman with a sinful past, our candidates for Christian
Initiation have come today to encounter Christ, they too will abandon their
jar, forget about their bad reputation and become evangelists spreading the
Good News to all. St. Paul tells us that the proof of God’s love for us is that
Christ died for us not because we were perfect but while we were still sinners.
No matter what our past is, Jesus is inviting us today to drink from the living
water. This brings us to our lessons for today:
*1. The Vanity of the Material World.*
In his conversation with the Samaritan woman, Jesus made a clear
distinction between the water she had come to draw from the well and the water
Jesus wanted her to have. Jesus said to her: “Everyone who drinks of this water
will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will
never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water
welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:13-14).
The truth is that like this woman, we are all seeking for water
in Jacob’s well; we spend our time and energy trying to amass as much wealth as
possible but the more we get, the more we crave: we are never satisfied. As
John admonishes us: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the
world, love for the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the
lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the
Father but is of the world. And the world passes away.” (1 John 2:15-17).
St. Augustine would say: “Our hearts are restless until they rest in
God.”_You take the whole world
and give me Jesus, you take the whole world and give me Jesus, you take the
whole world and give me Jesus, I’m satisfied, I’m satisfied._ Only Jesus
can give us living water which becomes a spring in us bringing us true
satisfaction.
Even though the Samaritan woman came to fetch water, by the time
she tasted the living water, she abandoned her jar and ran to the city to
spread the Good News. You would know when you have tasted living water when you
make God your priority, when you no longer pray just the material things of
this world: things that never satisfy.
The disciples had gone out to buy food for Jesus to eat. When
they returned, they saw Him talking with a woman. They asked Jesus to eat but
he said: “I have food which you do not know about.” Once again, Jesus is
comparing our physical food (which does not satisfy) with spiritual food (which
lasts forever). Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that comes
from the mouth of God. Instead of trying fruitlessly to feed your flesh, start
feeding your soul; nourish your spiritual life and you will find inner peace.
*2. Stop Complaining: Deepen Your Trust in God.*
Something happens to us when we seek satisfaction only from
material things; we become frustrated, disappointed and angry, we even become
suicidal; we start to question our purpose of living. This was exactly the
situation with the materially-minded Israelites in our first reading today.
They quickly forgot about God and were seeking for ordinary water. They
murmured against Moses saying they wished they had died in Egypt instead.
By making water flow from the Rock, God was not only giving them
water to quench their thirst, God was also seeking to revive their faith; to
show that He is a God for whom nothing is impossible. Have I been complaining a
lot lately? Perhaps, it is a sign that I have allowed my present predicament to consume my faith. Underneath our many complaints in life is a strong lack of
faith in God’s ability to solve our problems. In today’s second reading, we
hear St. Paul remind us that: “hope does not disappoint us.” Stop complaining.
Hope in God. Try to see the bigger picture, know that God is leading you
somewhere.
*3. God Seeks Those Who Worship Him in Spirit and Truth.*
It is not enough to boast about being baptised and confirmed. We
should avoid treating the sacraments like certificates we receive in school. To
be baptised and confirmed does not automatically qualify you for heaven. In his
conversation with the woman at the well, we hear Jesus say: “The hour is
coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit
and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him. God is spirit, and those
who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:23-24).
Dear friends, on the last day, we shall all be judged not by the
church we attended but by the way we worshipped God. As Jesus warns: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord,
Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father
who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not
prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty
works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart
from me, you evildoers.’” (Matthew
7:21-23). We may deceive everyone but we can never deceive God. Repent today
and come out of the darkness.
*4. Evangelization is bringing Christ to People and then bringing
People to Christ.*
The Samaritan woman came to draw water at that time of the
afternoon because she had a bad reputation in the community (having being
married to five husbands already). She was trying to avoid people but by the
time she encountered Jesus, she felt the urgency to announce to the whole village.
When you are too ashamed to talk to people about Jesus, it means you are yet to
encounter Him.
This woman who was ashamed of our past before ran to the village
talking freely about her former life and how Jesus has transformed her. You
know you have truly repented when you are able to talk about your shameful past
freely with others. To evangelize is to bring Christ to people; to tell them
your story; how Christ has changed you. John tells us that “many Samaritans
believed in Jesus because of the woman’s testimony.”
Nevertheless, it doesn’t stop there, after bringing Christ to
people, we must then make the next move which is bringing the people to Christ.
After she had told her story, she allowed the people to encounter Christ for
themselves so much so that they now said to her: “It is no longer because of
your words we believe, for we have heard ourselves and we know that He is the Saviour
of the world.”
Let us pray: Lord Jesus, give me
living water that I may not thirst again. Amen.
Be Happy.
Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Third Sunday of Lent. Year A. Bible
Study: Exodus 17:3-7, Psalm 95:1-2,6-9, Romans 5:1-2,5-8 and John
4:5-42).
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