Third Sunday of Lent
Last Tuesday, every parish in the archdiocese was open from 7 - 9pm for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It was called the “Light is on for You,” program. I began with our First Holy Communion kids at 6:30. By the time the last person made it out of the confessional, it was a little after 10 pm. Let me first talk about the kids. Many of them came a little unsure and apprehensive about what to expect from the Sacrament. But by the time they were finished, most of them were thrilled at having accomplished something wonderful. Most of them left the confessional with the usual childlike dance. As far as the adults were concerned, there were many people who had not been to the Sacrament in years. It seems to me that many people had a genuine encountered the ‘mercy’ of Christ that Pope Francis has been talking about.
Today, in the gospel reading we have one of those many passages in scripture that makes faith really what it is all about – the mercy and love of God. The story of the Samaritan woman is one of the most powerful stories of God entering into the lives of individuals and transforming them and the meaning of their lives.
I would like to use this story to draw three practical implications for us.
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To think Big. The Samaritan woman reminds me of me. I think of how she came to the well with a jar. A well is bottomless pit of water. A well never runs dry. A well is refreshed by an ever flowing spring. A jar on the other hand can hold only so much water. Sooner or later, it empties out and the water gets stale. The story of the Samaritan woman is about God who is like a well and we who come to God with our little jars. And we hold on to the jar as if it is the well. This is exactly what happens in today’s first reading. When the Israelites got thirsty in the desert they lost sight of what God had done in the past and where God was leading them into the future. They forgot that God was the well that could quench every thirst. Sometimes we make God as small as the jar the hold. God is about so much more offers us so much more. God is the very font of love. God’s name is mercy. God does not just fill our little jars but rather God opens a spring within us. This is exactly what Paul means when he says in today’s second reading that, “the love of God has been poured out into our hearts.” Today, let us drop our jars; let us allow Christ to pour God’s love into our hearts.
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Faith – an encounter with Christ. What does faith mean for us today? When Jesus spoke faith to the Samaritan woman she began to engage him intellectually. She talked about who drew from which well and who worshipped on which mountain. For her, all these things were important until she encountered Christ. Once she met Christ, every other thing moved to the periphery. So, here is my question again. What does faith and religion mean for you? Is it a set of doctrines? Is it about intellectual ideas? Is it about laws and sacramental obligations? It is a way to somehow get to heaven? Is it about saying prayers? Is it a way to get through life? I am not saying that all these things do not have a role in faith and religion, but faith and religion first and foremost is about standing face to face with Christ. When faith and religion is about what we can get out of it, then we are like the Samaritan woman who came to the well with jar. At some point of our lives and let Christ touch us at the very core of our being. Until this happens, faith is ‘something.’ Once we stand face to face with Christ, then faith is ‘somebody.’ Once we meet Christ, the sacraments are not something we do but somebody we meet. Once we meet Christ, scripture is not a book but it is God speaking with us.
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New Evangelization. These days there is a lot of emphasis on new evangelization. I love this passage for helping us understand what evangelization is all about. For very long, by evangelization was meant getting other people to accept Christ. Sometimes, it was done by compulsion. Even today, for many people evangelization is about getting other people to agree to my point of view. But evangelization is not a contest. Evangelization is to act out the love and mercy of God. The Samaritan woman teaches us that Evangelization is letting others know our experience of God’s love and mercy. The Samaritan woman merely said, “Come and meet this man who told me everything I have done.” She did not compel anyone, argue with anyone, tell them why she was right and they were wrong or try to give them some doctrine. She merely told them her story and introduced them to Christ. The gospel does not tell us what happened after that. It is not for us to determine the outcome. That is between Christ and the people we introduce to Christ. Our responsibility is to tell our story.
As Christ comes to us in this Eucharist, let us stand face-to-face with Christ. Let us allow Christ to touch the very core of our being. Let the mercy and love of God transform us forever. And let that be our story. Amen.
- Fr. Satish Joseph