Fr. Anthony Guiotto, sx
3rd SUNDAY of LENT
In this third Sunday of Lent “water” or “a drink of water” is the symbol of our conversion and the means to bring us closer to Jesus who is the spring of living water welling up to eternal life.
In the first reading, we hear the people asking Moses: “Give us water so that we might drink”. Water becomes a sign of God’s presence among his people and of his loving care for those He is leading to the promised land.
This is what happened to the Samaritan woman who met Jesus at the well. The conversation began with Jesus asking her for a drink (John 4:7). This thirst of Jesus is symbolic; it was for her faith that Jesus thirsted.
Jesus as a good teacher helped the Samaritan woman to understand the symbol of water:
- He asks the Samaritan woman for a drink of ordinary water
- Then Jesus offers her “living water”
- This water will cause the woman never to thirst again
- This water becomes a spring of water welling up to eternal life
So during the conversation Jesus gradually helped the gift of faith to grow in her heart.
We see the woman’s faith growing in the way she addresses Jesus; the titles she gives to Jesus show more and more respect and faith as their conversation progresses.
Firstly she says, “you, a Jew” (John 4:9).
Then she calls Jesus, “Sir” (John 4:11, 15)
Then she calls Jesus a prophet (John 4:19)
Finally she refers to Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah (John 4:29)
All the Samaritans of that town call Jesus the Saviour of the world, after the two days he spent with them. (John 4:42)
Jesus awoke faith in her heart. The Preface for today’s Mass says,
When he asked the woman of Samaria for water to drink Christ had already prepared for her the gift of faith. In his thirst to receive her faith,
He awakened in her heart the fire of your [the Father’s] love.
(Preface Third Sunday of Lent)
Jesus was thirsty for the woman’s faith and awoke the love of the Father in her heart. Jesus thirsts for our faith and wants to awaken the love of the Father ever more in our heart.This shows that we need more of Jesus in our lives. Having Jesus at the center of our lives makes our whole life richer. Every day is better with Jesus at the center. When we put Jesus where he belongs, our whole life just falls into place. At the end of Lent, we want to have Jesus put back again properly in our lives, like the Samaritan woman, because Jesus is the “something more to life” that we are looking for. When we put the picture of Jesus back into place in our life, then as we hear in the second reading,
…we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God. (Rom 5:1-2)
3rd SUNDAY of LENT
In this third Sunday of Lent “water” or “a drink of water” is the symbol of our conversion and the means to bring us closer to Jesus who is the spring of living water welling up to eternal life.
In the first reading, we hear the people asking Moses: “Give us water so that we might drink”. Water becomes a sign of God’s presence among his people and of his loving care for those He is leading to the promised land.
This is what happened to the Samaritan woman who met Jesus at the well. The conversation began with Jesus asking her for a drink (John 4:7). This thirst of Jesus is symbolic; it was for her faith that Jesus thirsted.
Jesus as a good teacher helped the Samaritan woman to understand the symbol of water:
- He asks the Samaritan woman for a drink of ordinary water
- Then Jesus offers her “living water”
- This water will cause the woman never to thirst again
- This water becomes a spring of water welling up to eternal life
So during the conversation Jesus gradually helped the gift of faith to grow in her heart.
We see the woman’s faith growing in the way she addresses Jesus; the titles she gives to Jesus show more and more respect and faith as their conversation progresses.
Firstly she says, “you, a Jew” (John 4:9).
Then she calls Jesus, “Sir” (John 4:11, 15)
Then she calls Jesus a prophet (John 4:19)
Finally she refers to Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah (John 4:29)
All the Samaritans of that town call Jesus the Saviour of the world, after the two days he spent with them. (John 4:42)
Jesus awoke faith in her heart. The Preface for today’s Mass says,
When he asked the woman of Samaria for water to drink Christ had already prepared for her the gift of faith. In his thirst to receive her faith,
He awakened in her heart the fire of your [the Father’s] love.
(Preface Third Sunday of Lent)
Jesus was thirsty for the woman’s faith and awoke the love of the Father in her heart. Jesus thirsts for our faith and wants to awaken the love of the Father ever more in our heart.This shows that we need more of Jesus in our lives. Having Jesus at the center of our lives makes our whole life richer. Every day is better with Jesus at the center. When we put Jesus where he belongs, our whole life just falls into place. At the end of Lent, we want to have Jesus put back again properly in our lives, like the Samaritan woman, because Jesus is the “something more to life” that we are looking for. When we put the picture of Jesus back into place in our life, then as we hear in the second reading,
…we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God. (Rom 5:1-2)