Third Sunday of Lent
Lectionary: 28
Lectionary: 28
In those days, in their thirst for
water,
the people grumbled against Moses,
saying, “Why did you ever make us leave Egypt?
Was it just to have us die here of thirst
with our children and our livestock?”
So Moses cried out to the LORD,
“What shall I do with this people?
a little more and they will stone me!”
The LORD answered Moses,
“Go over there in front of the people,
along with some of the elders of Israel,
holding in your hand, as you go,
the staff with which you struck the river.
I will be standing there in front of you on the rock in Horeb.
Strike the rock, and the water will flow from it
for the people to drink.”
This Moses did, in the presence of the elders of Israel.
The place was called Massah and Meribah,
because the Israelites quarreled there
and tested the LORD, saying,
“Is the LORD in our midst or not?”
the people grumbled against Moses,
saying, “Why did you ever make us leave Egypt?
Was it just to have us die here of thirst
with our children and our livestock?”
So Moses cried out to the LORD,
“What shall I do with this people?
a little more and they will stone me!”
The LORD answered Moses,
“Go over there in front of the people,
along with some of the elders of Israel,
holding in your hand, as you go,
the staff with which you struck the river.
I will be standing there in front of you on the rock in Horeb.
Strike the rock, and the water will flow from it
for the people to drink.”
This Moses did, in the presence of the elders of Israel.
The place was called Massah and Meribah,
because the Israelites quarreled there
and tested the LORD, saying,
“Is the LORD in our midst or not?”
Responsorial
PsalmPS 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9.
R. (8) If today you hear his
voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to him.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God,
and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
“Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the desert,
Where your fathers tempted me;
they tested me though they had seen my works.”
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to him.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God,
and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
“Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the desert,
Where your fathers tempted me;
they tested me though they had seen my works.”
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Reading 2ROM 5:1-2, 5-8
Brothers and sisters:
Since we have been justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have gained access by faith
to this grace in which we stand,
and we boast in hope of the glory of God.
Since we have been justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have gained access by faith
to this grace in which we stand,
and we boast in hope of the glory of God.
And hope does not disappoint,
because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
For Christ, while we were still helpless,
died at the appointed time for the ungodly.
Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person,
though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die.
But God proves his love for us
in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.
because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
For Christ, while we were still helpless,
died at the appointed time for the ungodly.
Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person,
though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die.
But God proves his love for us
in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.
Verse Before
The GospelJN 4:42, 15
Lord, you are truly the Savior of
the world;
give me living water, that I may never thirst again.
give me living water, that I may never thirst again.
GospelJN 4:5-42
Jesus came to a town of Samaria
called Sychar,
near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
Jacob’s well was there.
Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well.
It was about noon.
near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
Jacob’s well was there.
Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well.
It was about noon.
A woman of Samaria came to draw
water.
Jesus said to her,
“Give me a drink.”
His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.
The Samaritan woman said to him,
“How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?”
—For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.—
Jesus answered and said to her,
“If you knew the gift of God
and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink, ‘
you would have asked him
and he would have given you living water.”
The woman said to him,
“Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep;
where then can you get this living water?
Are you greater than our father Jacob,
who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself
with his children and his flocks?”
Jesus answered and said to her,
“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again;
but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst;
the water I shall give will become in him
a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
The woman said to him,
“Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty
or have to keep coming here to draw water.”
Jesus said to her,
“Give me a drink.”
His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.
The Samaritan woman said to him,
“How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?”
—For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.—
Jesus answered and said to her,
“If you knew the gift of God
and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink, ‘
you would have asked him
and he would have given you living water.”
The woman said to him,
“Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep;
where then can you get this living water?
Are you greater than our father Jacob,
who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself
with his children and his flocks?”
Jesus answered and said to her,
“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again;
but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst;
the water I shall give will become in him
a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
The woman said to him,
“Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty
or have to keep coming here to draw water.”
Jesus said to her,
“Go call your husband and come back.”
The woman answered and said to him,
“I do not have a husband.”
Jesus answered her,
“You are right in saying, ‘I do not have a husband.’
For you have had five husbands,
and the one you have now is not your husband.
What you have said is true.”
The woman said to him,
“Sir, I can see that you are a prophet.
Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain;
but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.”
Jesus said to her,
“Believe me, woman, the hour is coming
when you will worship the Father
neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.
You people worship what you do not understand;
we worship what we understand,
because salvation is from the Jews.
But the hour is coming, and is now here,
when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth;
and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him.
God is Spirit, and those who worship him
must worship in Spirit and truth.”
The woman said to him,
“I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Christ;
when he comes, he will tell us everything.”
Jesus said to her,
“I am he, the one speaking with you.”
“Go call your husband and come back.”
The woman answered and said to him,
“I do not have a husband.”
Jesus answered her,
“You are right in saying, ‘I do not have a husband.’
For you have had five husbands,
and the one you have now is not your husband.
What you have said is true.”
The woman said to him,
“Sir, I can see that you are a prophet.
Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain;
but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.”
Jesus said to her,
“Believe me, woman, the hour is coming
when you will worship the Father
neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.
You people worship what you do not understand;
we worship what we understand,
because salvation is from the Jews.
But the hour is coming, and is now here,
when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth;
and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him.
God is Spirit, and those who worship him
must worship in Spirit and truth.”
The woman said to him,
“I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Christ;
when he comes, he will tell us everything.”
Jesus said to her,
“I am he, the one speaking with you.”
At that moment his disciples
returned,
and were amazed that he was talking with a woman,
but still no one said, “What are you looking for?”
or “Why are you talking with her?”
The woman left her water jar
and went into the town and said to the people,
“Come see a man who told me everything I have done.
Could he possibly be the Christ?”
They went out of the town and came to him.
Meanwhile, the disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat.”
But he said to them,
“I have food to eat of which you do not know.”
So the disciples said to one another,
“Could someone have brought him something to eat?”
Jesus said to them,
“My food is to do the will of the one who sent me
and to finish his work.
Do you not say, ‘In four months the harvest will be here’?
I tell you, look up and see the fields ripe for the harvest.
The reaper is already receiving payment
and gathering crops for eternal life,
so that the sower and reaper can rejoice together.
For here the saying is verified that ‘One sows and another reaps.’
I sent you to reap what you have not worked for;
others have done the work,
and you are sharing the fruits of their work.”
and were amazed that he was talking with a woman,
but still no one said, “What are you looking for?”
or “Why are you talking with her?”
The woman left her water jar
and went into the town and said to the people,
“Come see a man who told me everything I have done.
Could he possibly be the Christ?”
They went out of the town and came to him.
Meanwhile, the disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat.”
But he said to them,
“I have food to eat of which you do not know.”
So the disciples said to one another,
“Could someone have brought him something to eat?”
Jesus said to them,
“My food is to do the will of the one who sent me
and to finish his work.
Do you not say, ‘In four months the harvest will be here’?
I tell you, look up and see the fields ripe for the harvest.
The reaper is already receiving payment
and gathering crops for eternal life,
so that the sower and reaper can rejoice together.
For here the saying is verified that ‘One sows and another reaps.’
I sent you to reap what you have not worked for;
others have done the work,
and you are sharing the fruits of their work.”
Many of the Samaritans of that
town began to believe in him
because of the word of the woman who testified,
“He told me everything I have done.”
When the Samaritans came to him,
they invited him to stay with them;
and he stayed there two days.
Many more began to believe in him because of his word,
and they said to the woman,
“We no longer believe because of your word;
for we have heard for ourselves,
and we know that this is truly the savior of the world.”
because of the word of the woman who testified,
“He told me everything I have done.”
When the Samaritans came to him,
they invited him to stay with them;
and he stayed there two days.
Many more began to believe in him because of his word,
and they said to the woman,
“We no longer believe because of your word;
for we have heard for ourselves,
and we know that this is truly the savior of the world.”
Jesus came to a town of Samaria
called Sychar,
near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
Jacob’s well was there.
Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well.
It was about noon.
near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
Jacob’s well was there.
Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well.
It was about noon.
A woman of Samaria came to draw
water.
Jesus said to her,
“Give me a drink.”
His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.
The Samaritan woman said to him,
“How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?”
—For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.—
Jesus answered and said to her,
“If you knew the gift of God
and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink, ‘
you would have asked him
and he would have given you living water.”
The woman said to him,
“Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep;
where then can you get this living water?
Are you greater than our father Jacob,
who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself
with his children and his flocks?”
Jesus answered and said to her,
“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again;
but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst;
the water I shall give will become in him
a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
The woman said to him,
“Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty
or have to keep coming here to draw water.
Jesus said to her,
“Give me a drink.”
His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.
The Samaritan woman said to him,
“How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?”
—For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.—
Jesus answered and said to her,
“If you knew the gift of God
and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink, ‘
you would have asked him
and he would have given you living water.”
The woman said to him,
“Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep;
where then can you get this living water?
Are you greater than our father Jacob,
who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself
with his children and his flocks?”
Jesus answered and said to her,
“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again;
but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst;
the water I shall give will become in him
a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
The woman said to him,
“Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty
or have to keep coming here to draw water.
“I can see that you are a prophet.
Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain;
but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.”
Jesus said to her,
“Believe me, woman, the hour is coming
when you will worship the Father
neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.
You people worship what you do not understand;
we worship what we understand,
because salvation is from the Jews.
But the hour is coming, and is now here,
when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth;
and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him.
God is Spirit, and those who worship him
must worship in Spirit and truth.”
The woman said to him,
“I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Christ;
when he comes, he will tell us everything.”
Jesus said to her,
“I am he, the one who is speaking with you.”
Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain;
but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.”
Jesus said to her,
“Believe me, woman, the hour is coming
when you will worship the Father
neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.
You people worship what you do not understand;
we worship what we understand,
because salvation is from the Jews.
But the hour is coming, and is now here,
when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth;
and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him.
God is Spirit, and those who worship him
must worship in Spirit and truth.”
The woman said to him,
“I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Christ;
when he comes, he will tell us everything.”
Jesus said to her,
“I am he, the one who is speaking with you.”
Many of the Samaritans of that
town began to believe in him.
When the Samaritans came to him,
they invited him to stay with them;
and he stayed there two days.
Many more began to believe in him because of his word,
and they said to the woman,
“We no longer believe because of your word;
for we have heard for ourselves,
and we know that this is truly the savior of the world.”
When the Samaritans came to him,
they invited him to stay with them;
and he stayed there two days.
Many more began to believe in him because of his word,
and they said to the woman,
“We no longer believe because of your word;
for we have heard for ourselves,
and we know that this is truly the savior of the world.”
Meditation: A spring
of water welling up to eternal life
Would
you do a favor for someone who snubbed you or treated you like an enemy? Jesus
did just that and more! He treated the Samaritans, the sworn enemies of the
Jews, with great kindness and respect. The Samaritans who lived in middle
region of Israel between Galilee and Judaea and the Jews who lived in the rest
of the land of Israel had been divided for centuries. They had no dealings with
one another, avoiding all social contact, even trade, and inter-marriage. If their
paths crossed it would not be unusual for hostility to break out.
When
Jesus decided to pass through Samaria he stopped at Jacob's well because it was
mid-day and he was both tired from the journey and thirsty. Jacob's well was a
good mile and a half from the nearest town, called Sychar. It wasn't easy to
draw water from this well since it was over a hundred feet deep. Jesus had
neither rope nor bucket to fetch the water.
When
a Samaritan woman showed up at the well, both were caught by surprise. Why would
a Samaritan woman walk a mile and a half in the mid-day heat to fetch her water
at a remote well rather than in her local town? She was an outcast and not
welcomed among her own townspeople. Jesus then did something no respectable Jew
would think of doing. He reached out to her, thus risking ritual impurity and
scorn from his fellow Jews. He also did something no strict Rabbi would dare to
do in public without loss to his reputation. He treated the woman like he would
treat one of his friends - he greeted her and spoke at length with her. Jesus'
welcoming approach to her was scandalous to both Jews and Samaritans because
this woman was an adulteress and public sinner as well. No decent Jew or
Samaritan would even think of being seen with such a woman, let alone
exchanging a word with her!
Jesus
broke through the barriers of prejudice, hostility, and tradition to bring the
good news of peace and reconciliation to Jews, Samaritans, and Gentiles alike.
He demonstrated the universality of the gospel both in word and deed. No one is
barred from the love of God and the good news of salvation. There is only one
thing that can keep us from God and his redeeming love - our stubborn pride and
wilful rebellion.
What
is the point of Jesus' exchange with the Samaritan woman about water? Water in
the arid land was scarce. Jacob's well was located in a strategic fork of the
road between Samaria and Galilee. One can live without food for several days,
but not without water. Water is a source of life and growth for all living
things. When rain came to the desert, the water transformed the wasteland into
a fertile field.
The
kind of water which Jesus spoke about was living, running, fresh, pure water.
Fresh water from a cool running stream was always preferred to the still water
one might find in a pool or resevoir. When the Israelites complained about lack
of water in the wilderness, God instructed Moses to strike the rock and a
stream of fresh living water gushed out (Exodus17:6 ). Even though the
Israelites did not trust God to care for them in the wilderness, God,
nonetheless gave them abundant water and provision through the intercession of
his servant Moses.
The
image of "living water" is used throughout the scriptures as a symbol
of God's wisdom, a wisdom that imparts life and blessing to all who receive it.
"The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life" (Proverbs
13:14). "Living water" was also a symbol for the Jews of thirst
of the soul for God. The water which Jesus spoke of symbolized the Holy Spirit
and his work of recreating us in God's image and sustaining in us the new life
which comes from God. The life which the Holy Spirit produces in us makes us a
"new creation" in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). Do you thirst
for God and for the life of the Holy Spirit within you?
Hippolytus
(170-236 AD), an early Christian writer and theologian who lived in Rome,
explains the significance of the Holy Spirit's work in us:
"This
is the water of the Spirit: It refreshes paradise, enriches the earth, gives
life to living things. It is the water of Christ's baptism; it is our life. If
you go with faith to this renewing fountain, you renounce Satan your enemy and
confess Christ your God. You cease to be a slave and become an adopted son. You
come forth radiant as the sun and brilliant with justice. You come forth a son
of God and fellow-heir with Christ." (From a sermon, On the
Epiphany)
Basil
the Great (330-379 AD), a great early Christian teacher and Greek bishop of
Caesarea, speaks in a similar manner:
"The
Spirit restores paradise to us and the way to heaven and adoption as children
of God; he instills confidence that we may call God truly Father and grants us
the grace of Christ to be children of the light and to enjoy eternal glory. In
a word, he bestows the fullness of blessings in this world and the next; for we
may contemplate now in the mirror of faith the promised things we shall someday
enjoy. If this is the foretaste, what must the reality be? If these are the
first fruits, what must be the harvest?" (From the treatise, The
Holy Spirit)
"Lord
Jesus, my soul thirsts for you. Fill me with your Holy Spirit that I may always
find joy in your presence and take delight in doing your will."
A
Daily Quote for Lent: The
Living Water of the Spirit, by John Chrysostom, 347-407 AD
Sometimes
Scripture calls the grace of the Spirit "fire," other times it calls
it "water." In this way, it shows that these names are not
descriptive of its essence but of its operation. For the Spirit, which is
invisible and simple, cannot be made up of different substances... In the same
way that he calls the Spirit by the name of "fire," alluding to
the rousing and warming property of grace and its power of destroying sins, he
calls it "water" in order to highlight the cleansing it does and the
great refreshment it provides those minds that receive it. For it makes the
willing soul like a kind of garden, thick with all kinds of fruitful and
productive trees, allowing it neither to feel despondency nor the plots of
Satan. It quenches all the fiery darts of the wicked one. (HOMILIES ON THE
GOSPEL OF JOHN 32.1)
3rd Sunday in Lent – Cycle A
Note: Where a Scripture text is underlined in the body of this discussion, it is recommended that the reader look up and read that passage.
1st Reading - Exodus 17:3-7
The Book of Exodus (Greek for “going out”) relates the oppression of the Israelites in Egypt; the birth and education of Moses and his flight into the land of Midian; the appearance of God to Moses at Mount Sinai (Horeb); revelation of the sacred name of Yahweh (I AM), and the commissioning of Moses and Aaron to deliver the Israelites from bondage; the return of Moses to Egypt, and his vain appeal to Pharaoh to let Israel to go free; the first nine plagues (blood, frogs, gnats, flies, on livestock, boils, hail, locusts, and darkness); the institution of the Passover meal and the 10th plague (on the firstborn), and Israel’s departure from Egypt, the crossing of the Red Sea, the death of the pursuing Egyptians, the Song of Triumph, the manna, and other incidents of the journey through the wilderness; the sojourn at Mount Sinai and the giving of the Law, including the 10 commandments and the book of the covenant; directions for the building of the tabernacle and the consecration of Aaron and the priests; the falling away of the people from Yahweh and the worshiping of the golden calf; the prayer of Moses for the people and their return to God’s favor; the construction of the tabernacle and its furniture.
Unfortunately, the author does not name the Pharaoh or Pharaohs under whom the events in Egypt transpired. 1 Kings 6:1 says that it was 480 years from the Exodus to Solomon’s temple. Since Solomon ascended to the throne in 960 B.C., the exodus would have been about 1440 B.C. This would place the events in the 15th century, but archaeological evidence points to a 13th century date. If one takes the 1st Kings 480 years to be a round number indicating 12 generations, a 13th century date is possible; in fact, 1280 is suggested by archaeological evidence (Rameses II was pharaoh from 1292-1225 B.C.). Tradition has Moses as the author.
Today’s reading describes events which took place just before the Israelites arrived at Mount Sinai. Since they arrived at Mount Sinai three months after they left Egypt, this is very early in the Exodus; but after the manna and the quail. From the wilderness of Sin the Israelites moved on to Rephidim which most scholars today locate in the Wadi Refayid, some 30 miles from Mount Sinai.
3 Here, then, in their thirst for water, the people grumbled against Moses,
This is the second incident involving water. The first (Exodus 15:22-27), involved water that was too bitter (alkaline) to drink. At that, the Israelites grumbled against Moses, the Lord told him to throw a piece of wood into the water, and it became sweet. There, the water was bitter, here there is none at all. They grumble against Moses again but their quarrel is really with God: they do not believe He can be their God in the wilderness and don’t trust Him to provide for them.
saying, “Why did you ever make us leave Egypt? Was it just to have us die here of thirst with our children and our livestock?” 4 So Moses cried out to the LORD, “What shall I do with this people? A little more and they will stone me!” 5 The LORD answered Moses, “Go over there in front of the people, along with some of the elders of Israel, holding in your hand, as you go, the staff with which you struck the river.
The staff is the same one that turned into a serpent, brought forth the plagues of frogs and gnats, turned the Nile into blood, and parted the Red Sea.
6 I will be standing there in front of you on the rock in Horeb.
“Horeb” is a general name for the mountain range that runs through the region. Sinai is one of its peaks. Generally, the name is used interchangeably with Sinai.
Strike the rock, and the water will flow from it for the people to drink.” This Moses did, in the presence of the elders of Israel.
Notice that there is no divine rebuke, but only the command to take some of the elders and go to the rock and strike it. The elders represent the people and are witnesses.
7 The place was called Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled there and tested the LORD,
“Massah” means “the (place of the) testing” and “Meribah” means “the (place of the) quarreling”in Hebrew.
saying, “Is the LORD in our midst or not?”
God has provided manna and water in the desert, He has withstood their test and has shown His authority over the wilderness.
From this incident, later rabbis built an oral tradition that this rock as a source of water followed the Israelites through the desert. St. Paul refers to this oral tradition in 1 Corinthians 10:4. Yet, there are people today who state that oral tradition has no authority.
2nd Reading - Romans 5:1-2, 5-8
The letter to the Romans was written by Paul during his third missionary journey (A.D. 55- 56). It was probably written from Corinth. Paul’s background was that of a Hebrew pharisee, and thus schooled in the concept of family covenant rather than in the Roman court as so many today try to assert. We must always be careful to interpret Scripture through the eyes and understanding of the sacred writer.
5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith,
The earlier part of this book shows that faith is not just believing, but living out that belief because of certainty that God is true to His covenant. His covenant with Abraham (to provide worldwide blessing) is not yet finished. In fact, the first and last uses by Saint Paul of the word “faith” in this book of Romans (1:5 and 16:26) it is not “faith alone”, but “obedience of faith” to which he refers, thus setting the context for the use of the word “faith” throughout the entire epistle. The only use of the term “faith alone” in the entire Bible is in James 2:24 where it says “See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.”
“Let no one say to himself: ‘If [justification] is from faith, how is it freely given: If faith merits it, why is it not rather paid than given?’ Let the faithful man not say such a thing; for, if he says: ‘I have faith, therefore I merit justification,’ he will be answered: ‘What have you that you did not receive?’ If, therefore, faith entreats and receives justification, according as God has apportioned to each in the measure of his faith, nothing of human merit precedes the grace of God, but grace itself merits increase, and the increase merits perfection, with the will accompanying but not leading, following along but not going in advance.” (Saint Augustine of Hippo (A.D. 417), Letter to Paulinus of Nola, 186§3,7]
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Because of Jesus’ all-perfect sacrifice, heaven is now opened and we are no longer slaves or servants, but children of God. See also Romans 14:19.
2 through whom we have gained access (by faith) to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in hope of the glory of God. 5 And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit that has been given to us.
As children of God, we have an inheritance – the kingdom of God.
6 For Christ, while we were still helpless, yet died at the appointed time for the ungodly. 7 Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person, though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die.
Before the sacrifice of Christ, no one was justified and could do nothing to enable them to appear morally right before God.
8 But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.
God so loves us that He allowed His Son to die so that heaven might be opened and we could enter. There is no quid pro quo here, this is not repayment, but a gift to us who are so undeserving.
“If Christ gave Himself up to death at the right time for those who were unbelievers and enemies of God ... how much more will He protect us with His help if we believe in Him! He died for us in order to obtain life and glory for us. So if He died for His enemies, just think what He will do for His friends!” [The Ambrosiaster (A.D. 366-384), Commentaries on Thirteen Pauline Epistles]
Gospel - John 4:5-42
This event happened very early in Jesus’ public ministry: immediately after His baptism, the wedding feast at Cana, and His encounter with Nicodemus, all of which have baptismal significance.
5 So he came to a town of Samaria
During the Assyrian occupation most of the inhabitants of Israel had been carried off into exile; some remained behind and intermingled with the people whom Sargon II (king of Assyria) had imported from Babylon, Cutah, Affa, Hamath, and Sepharuaim; thus forming a new people. From that time on, these people were called Samaritans (2 Kings 17:24). Friendly relations existed between the Samaritans and the kingdom of Judah until the Babylonian exile. When the Samaritans desired to assist the repatriated Jews in rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem, their offer was refused (Ezra 4:2-3). The Samaritans therefore built a temple of their own on Mount Gerizim. The Jews regarded them as racially impure and compromisers in religion. The usual route from Judea to Galilee lay through Samaria and took about three days.
called Sychar, near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there.
“Sychar” Means “liar” or “drunkard”. Archaeologists have identified it with ‘Askar, a small town on the southern base of Mount Ebal., about a mile north of Jacob’s well. Saint Jerome identifies it as Shechem, as noted in Syriac manuscripts. Genesis 33:19 tells of Jacob’s purchase of the land and Joshua 24:32 tells us that Joseph was buried there.
Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well. It was about noon. 7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8 His disciples had gone into the town to buy food. 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?” (For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.)
Not only was it unheard of for a rabbi to speak familiarly with a woman in public, it was also unheard of for a Jew to request a drink from a Samaritan. Jews considered Samaritans, and therefore their utensils for eating and drinking, unclean.
10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’
Jesus himself, whom the woman does not yet recognize, is the gift. She sees only a Jew who is a very bold and thirsty traveler.
you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” 11 (The woman) said to him, “Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep; where then can you get this living water?
As Nicodemus did (John 3:4), the woman takes Jesus literally. She thinks he is talking about flowing water rather than water from a well or cistern. Just as He did with Nicodemus, Jesus uses this misunderstanding as an opportunity for further teaching.
12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself with his children and his flocks?”
Since Jesus can’t mean to get water from this well, where will He get it? Even Jacob had no better source than this well. The Samaritans also claimed descent from the patriarchs, through the Joseph tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh and thus refer to Jacob as their father.
13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; 14 but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Jesus begins to explain the meaning of His words (as He does every time He is misunderstood). Sirach 24:20 (a writing with which the Samaritan woman would be unfamiliar) says that the drinker of wisdom will thirst again. The water which Christ will give will satisfy thirst forever. The Christian reader is reminded of baptism, the water of Christ that confers the gift of eternal life.
15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.”
The woman still misunderstands.
16 Jesus said to her, “Go call your husband and come back.”
The Hebrew word for husband is baal which also means “lord”.
17 The woman answered and said to him, “I do not have a husband.” Jesus answered her, “You are right in saying, ‘I do not have a husband.’ 18 For you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true.”
In saying “the man you are with now”, Jesus is referring to Himself. Jacob met his wife at a well but Jesus tells her that He is not destined to be her husband. There is, however, a much deeper meaning: Hosea 2 tells of when the Messiah comes he will go to Israel (Samaria) and betroth to Israel and take away the Baals. According to Dr. Scott Hahn, the prophets were sent to condemn Samaria “you will be given over to the pagan nations surrounding you and they will bring their Baals (gods).” The prophets listed five different Baals (2 Kings 17) and she has had five husbands (baals).
19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I can see that you are a prophet.
A curious statement, coming from a Samaritan. The Samaritans held only the first five books of the Bible to be sacred because they rejected the prophets (who did not speak kindly of them). The only prophet they accepted was the one who was to come as promised in Deuteronomy 18:15-19. What she is really saying is that Jesus is The Prophet.
20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain; but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.”
This conversation takes place at the foot of Mount Gerizim (Mount Ebal in Jewish terminology), the Samaritan place of worship; here the patriarchs had sacrificed (Genesis 12:7; 33:20) and here according to the Samaritan version of Deuteronomy 27:4, the Israelites had first set up an altar in Palestine.
21 Jesus said to her, “Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You people worship what you do not understand; we worship what we understand, because salvation is from the Jews.
Jesus must be agreeing that in Judaism, not the Samaritan version of it, God’s revelation has been safeguarded.
23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him.
The first mention of His “hour” in John’s gospel is associated with wine at the marriage feast. Here, it is associated with worship. The Spirit is given by God that reveals truth and enables one to worship God appropriately (John 14:16-17). The Spirit is received at baptism.
24 God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth.”
The new covenant which Jesus will institute is Spirit and truth.
25 The woman said to him, “I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the
Anointed; when he comes, he will tell us everything.”
The woman again states her recognition that Jesus is the prophet the Samaritans had expected; she uses Jewish terminology, the Samaritans expected a prophet like Moses.
26 Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who is speaking with you.”
Jesus confirms her knowledge by saying “I am” (Yahweh).
27 At that moment his disciples returned, and were amazed that he was talking with a woman, but still no one said, “What are you looking for?” or “Why are you talking with her?” 28 The woman left her water jar and went into the town and said to the people, 29 “Come see a man who told me everything I have done. Could he possibly be the Messiah?”
The woman leaves to spread the word without the usual warning of “tell no one.” She is the first evangelist.
30 They went out of the town and came to him. 31 Meanwhile, the disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” 33 So the disciples said to one another, “Could someone have brought him something to eat?”
The woman fully realizes who Jesus is, but the disciples are slow to understand. They still take everything in its superficial sense.
34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of the one who sent me and to finish his work.
In these words Jesus sums up His entire career.
35 Do you not say, ‘In four months the harvest will be here’?
This is apparently some sort of Palestinian proverb. It takes four months from planting to harvest.
I tell you, look up and see the fields ripe for the harvest.
The harvest of which Jesus speaks is of God’s planting and is ready now (see Matthew 9:37-38). The woman who goes even now to witness to the people of her village, who will soon come to see for themselves.
36 The reaper is already receiving his payment and gathering crops for eternal life, so that the sower and reaper can rejoice together.
In this harvest there is no interval at all from sowing to reaping, the sower and the reaper rejoice at the same time when their jobs are finished.
37 For here the saying is verified that ‘One sows and another reaps.’
Job 31:8; Ecclesiastes 2:21.
38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for; others have done the work, and you are sharing the fruits of their work.” 39 Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me everything I have done.”
The Samaritans follow the model of all who have true faith; almost the same words are used to describe the disciples in John 17:20. First having believed because of the woman’s testimony, they eventually come to believe because of His own word.
40 When the Samaritans came to him, they invited him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. 41 Many more began to believe in him because of his word, 42 and they said to the woman, “We no longer believe because of your word; for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the savior of the world.”
Not only have they come to believe, they also recognize in Him something more than the Messiah to which the woman had witnessed. Jesus, by transcending national lines in dealing with them, has laid a basis for a universal affirmation of God’s salvation.
Note: Where a Scripture text is underlined in the body of this discussion, it is recommended that the reader look up and read that passage.
1st Reading - Exodus 17:3-7
The Book of Exodus (Greek for “going out”) relates the oppression of the Israelites in Egypt; the birth and education of Moses and his flight into the land of Midian; the appearance of God to Moses at Mount Sinai (Horeb); revelation of the sacred name of Yahweh (I AM), and the commissioning of Moses and Aaron to deliver the Israelites from bondage; the return of Moses to Egypt, and his vain appeal to Pharaoh to let Israel to go free; the first nine plagues (blood, frogs, gnats, flies, on livestock, boils, hail, locusts, and darkness); the institution of the Passover meal and the 10th plague (on the firstborn), and Israel’s departure from Egypt, the crossing of the Red Sea, the death of the pursuing Egyptians, the Song of Triumph, the manna, and other incidents of the journey through the wilderness; the sojourn at Mount Sinai and the giving of the Law, including the 10 commandments and the book of the covenant; directions for the building of the tabernacle and the consecration of Aaron and the priests; the falling away of the people from Yahweh and the worshiping of the golden calf; the prayer of Moses for the people and their return to God’s favor; the construction of the tabernacle and its furniture.
Unfortunately, the author does not name the Pharaoh or Pharaohs under whom the events in Egypt transpired. 1 Kings 6:1 says that it was 480 years from the Exodus to Solomon’s temple. Since Solomon ascended to the throne in 960 B.C., the exodus would have been about 1440 B.C. This would place the events in the 15th century, but archaeological evidence points to a 13th century date. If one takes the 1st Kings 480 years to be a round number indicating 12 generations, a 13th century date is possible; in fact, 1280 is suggested by archaeological evidence (Rameses II was pharaoh from 1292-1225 B.C.). Tradition has Moses as the author.
Today’s reading describes events which took place just before the Israelites arrived at Mount Sinai. Since they arrived at Mount Sinai three months after they left Egypt, this is very early in the Exodus; but after the manna and the quail. From the wilderness of Sin the Israelites moved on to Rephidim which most scholars today locate in the Wadi Refayid, some 30 miles from Mount Sinai.
3 Here, then, in their thirst for water, the people grumbled against Moses,
This is the second incident involving water. The first (Exodus 15:22-27), involved water that was too bitter (alkaline) to drink. At that, the Israelites grumbled against Moses, the Lord told him to throw a piece of wood into the water, and it became sweet. There, the water was bitter, here there is none at all. They grumble against Moses again but their quarrel is really with God: they do not believe He can be their God in the wilderness and don’t trust Him to provide for them.
saying, “Why did you ever make us leave Egypt? Was it just to have us die here of thirst with our children and our livestock?” 4 So Moses cried out to the LORD, “What shall I do with this people? A little more and they will stone me!” 5 The LORD answered Moses, “Go over there in front of the people, along with some of the elders of Israel, holding in your hand, as you go, the staff with which you struck the river.
The staff is the same one that turned into a serpent, brought forth the plagues of frogs and gnats, turned the Nile into blood, and parted the Red Sea.
6 I will be standing there in front of you on the rock in Horeb.
“Horeb” is a general name for the mountain range that runs through the region. Sinai is one of its peaks. Generally, the name is used interchangeably with Sinai.
Strike the rock, and the water will flow from it for the people to drink.” This Moses did, in the presence of the elders of Israel.
Notice that there is no divine rebuke, but only the command to take some of the elders and go to the rock and strike it. The elders represent the people and are witnesses.
7 The place was called Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled there and tested the LORD,
“Massah” means “the (place of the) testing” and “Meribah” means “the (place of the) quarreling”in Hebrew.
saying, “Is the LORD in our midst or not?”
God has provided manna and water in the desert, He has withstood their test and has shown His authority over the wilderness.
From this incident, later rabbis built an oral tradition that this rock as a source of water followed the Israelites through the desert. St. Paul refers to this oral tradition in 1 Corinthians 10:4. Yet, there are people today who state that oral tradition has no authority.
2nd Reading - Romans 5:1-2, 5-8
The letter to the Romans was written by Paul during his third missionary journey (A.D. 55- 56). It was probably written from Corinth. Paul’s background was that of a Hebrew pharisee, and thus schooled in the concept of family covenant rather than in the Roman court as so many today try to assert. We must always be careful to interpret Scripture through the eyes and understanding of the sacred writer.
5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith,
The earlier part of this book shows that faith is not just believing, but living out that belief because of certainty that God is true to His covenant. His covenant with Abraham (to provide worldwide blessing) is not yet finished. In fact, the first and last uses by Saint Paul of the word “faith” in this book of Romans (1:5 and 16:26) it is not “faith alone”, but “obedience of faith” to which he refers, thus setting the context for the use of the word “faith” throughout the entire epistle. The only use of the term “faith alone” in the entire Bible is in James 2:24 where it says “See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.”
“Let no one say to himself: ‘If [justification] is from faith, how is it freely given: If faith merits it, why is it not rather paid than given?’ Let the faithful man not say such a thing; for, if he says: ‘I have faith, therefore I merit justification,’ he will be answered: ‘What have you that you did not receive?’ If, therefore, faith entreats and receives justification, according as God has apportioned to each in the measure of his faith, nothing of human merit precedes the grace of God, but grace itself merits increase, and the increase merits perfection, with the will accompanying but not leading, following along but not going in advance.” (Saint Augustine of Hippo (A.D. 417), Letter to Paulinus of Nola, 186§3,7]
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Because of Jesus’ all-perfect sacrifice, heaven is now opened and we are no longer slaves or servants, but children of God. See also Romans 14:19.
2 through whom we have gained access (by faith) to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in hope of the glory of God. 5 And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit that has been given to us.
As children of God, we have an inheritance – the kingdom of God.
6 For Christ, while we were still helpless, yet died at the appointed time for the ungodly. 7 Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person, though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die.
Before the sacrifice of Christ, no one was justified and could do nothing to enable them to appear morally right before God.
8 But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.
God so loves us that He allowed His Son to die so that heaven might be opened and we could enter. There is no quid pro quo here, this is not repayment, but a gift to us who are so undeserving.
“If Christ gave Himself up to death at the right time for those who were unbelievers and enemies of God ... how much more will He protect us with His help if we believe in Him! He died for us in order to obtain life and glory for us. So if He died for His enemies, just think what He will do for His friends!” [The Ambrosiaster (A.D. 366-384), Commentaries on Thirteen Pauline Epistles]
Gospel - John 4:5-42
This event happened very early in Jesus’ public ministry: immediately after His baptism, the wedding feast at Cana, and His encounter with Nicodemus, all of which have baptismal significance.
5 So he came to a town of Samaria
During the Assyrian occupation most of the inhabitants of Israel had been carried off into exile; some remained behind and intermingled with the people whom Sargon II (king of Assyria) had imported from Babylon, Cutah, Affa, Hamath, and Sepharuaim; thus forming a new people. From that time on, these people were called Samaritans (2 Kings 17:24). Friendly relations existed between the Samaritans and the kingdom of Judah until the Babylonian exile. When the Samaritans desired to assist the repatriated Jews in rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem, their offer was refused (Ezra 4:2-3). The Samaritans therefore built a temple of their own on Mount Gerizim. The Jews regarded them as racially impure and compromisers in religion. The usual route from Judea to Galilee lay through Samaria and took about three days.
called Sychar, near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there.
“Sychar” Means “liar” or “drunkard”. Archaeologists have identified it with ‘Askar, a small town on the southern base of Mount Ebal., about a mile north of Jacob’s well. Saint Jerome identifies it as Shechem, as noted in Syriac manuscripts. Genesis 33:19 tells of Jacob’s purchase of the land and Joshua 24:32 tells us that Joseph was buried there.
Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well. It was about noon. 7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8 His disciples had gone into the town to buy food. 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?” (For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.)
Not only was it unheard of for a rabbi to speak familiarly with a woman in public, it was also unheard of for a Jew to request a drink from a Samaritan. Jews considered Samaritans, and therefore their utensils for eating and drinking, unclean.
10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’
Jesus himself, whom the woman does not yet recognize, is the gift. She sees only a Jew who is a very bold and thirsty traveler.
you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” 11 (The woman) said to him, “Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep; where then can you get this living water?
As Nicodemus did (John 3:4), the woman takes Jesus literally. She thinks he is talking about flowing water rather than water from a well or cistern. Just as He did with Nicodemus, Jesus uses this misunderstanding as an opportunity for further teaching.
12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself with his children and his flocks?”
Since Jesus can’t mean to get water from this well, where will He get it? Even Jacob had no better source than this well. The Samaritans also claimed descent from the patriarchs, through the Joseph tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh and thus refer to Jacob as their father.
13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; 14 but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Jesus begins to explain the meaning of His words (as He does every time He is misunderstood). Sirach 24:20 (a writing with which the Samaritan woman would be unfamiliar) says that the drinker of wisdom will thirst again. The water which Christ will give will satisfy thirst forever. The Christian reader is reminded of baptism, the water of Christ that confers the gift of eternal life.
15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.”
The woman still misunderstands.
16 Jesus said to her, “Go call your husband and come back.”
The Hebrew word for husband is baal which also means “lord”.
17 The woman answered and said to him, “I do not have a husband.” Jesus answered her, “You are right in saying, ‘I do not have a husband.’ 18 For you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true.”
In saying “the man you are with now”, Jesus is referring to Himself. Jacob met his wife at a well but Jesus tells her that He is not destined to be her husband. There is, however, a much deeper meaning: Hosea 2 tells of when the Messiah comes he will go to Israel (Samaria) and betroth to Israel and take away the Baals. According to Dr. Scott Hahn, the prophets were sent to condemn Samaria “you will be given over to the pagan nations surrounding you and they will bring their Baals (gods).” The prophets listed five different Baals (2 Kings 17) and she has had five husbands (baals).
19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I can see that you are a prophet.
A curious statement, coming from a Samaritan. The Samaritans held only the first five books of the Bible to be sacred because they rejected the prophets (who did not speak kindly of them). The only prophet they accepted was the one who was to come as promised in Deuteronomy 18:15-19. What she is really saying is that Jesus is The Prophet.
20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain; but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.”
This conversation takes place at the foot of Mount Gerizim (Mount Ebal in Jewish terminology), the Samaritan place of worship; here the patriarchs had sacrificed (Genesis 12:7; 33:20) and here according to the Samaritan version of Deuteronomy 27:4, the Israelites had first set up an altar in Palestine.
21 Jesus said to her, “Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You people worship what you do not understand; we worship what we understand, because salvation is from the Jews.
Jesus must be agreeing that in Judaism, not the Samaritan version of it, God’s revelation has been safeguarded.
23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him.
The first mention of His “hour” in John’s gospel is associated with wine at the marriage feast. Here, it is associated with worship. The Spirit is given by God that reveals truth and enables one to worship God appropriately (John 14:16-17). The Spirit is received at baptism.
24 God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth.”
The new covenant which Jesus will institute is Spirit and truth.
25 The woman said to him, “I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the
Anointed; when he comes, he will tell us everything.”
The woman again states her recognition that Jesus is the prophet the Samaritans had expected; she uses Jewish terminology, the Samaritans expected a prophet like Moses.
26 Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who is speaking with you.”
Jesus confirms her knowledge by saying “I am” (Yahweh).
27 At that moment his disciples returned, and were amazed that he was talking with a woman, but still no one said, “What are you looking for?” or “Why are you talking with her?” 28 The woman left her water jar and went into the town and said to the people, 29 “Come see a man who told me everything I have done. Could he possibly be the Messiah?”
The woman leaves to spread the word without the usual warning of “tell no one.” She is the first evangelist.
30 They went out of the town and came to him. 31 Meanwhile, the disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” 33 So the disciples said to one another, “Could someone have brought him something to eat?”
The woman fully realizes who Jesus is, but the disciples are slow to understand. They still take everything in its superficial sense.
34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of the one who sent me and to finish his work.
In these words Jesus sums up His entire career.
35 Do you not say, ‘In four months the harvest will be here’?
This is apparently some sort of Palestinian proverb. It takes four months from planting to harvest.
I tell you, look up and see the fields ripe for the harvest.
The harvest of which Jesus speaks is of God’s planting and is ready now (see Matthew 9:37-38). The woman who goes even now to witness to the people of her village, who will soon come to see for themselves.
36 The reaper is already receiving his payment and gathering crops for eternal life, so that the sower and reaper can rejoice together.
In this harvest there is no interval at all from sowing to reaping, the sower and the reaper rejoice at the same time when their jobs are finished.
37 For here the saying is verified that ‘One sows and another reaps.’
Job 31:8; Ecclesiastes 2:21.
38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for; others have done the work, and you are sharing the fruits of their work.” 39 Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me everything I have done.”
The Samaritans follow the model of all who have true faith; almost the same words are used to describe the disciples in John 17:20. First having believed because of the woman’s testimony, they eventually come to believe because of His own word.
40 When the Samaritans came to him, they invited him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. 41 Many more began to believe in him because of his word, 42 and they said to the woman, “We no longer believe because of your word; for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the savior of the world.”
Not only have they come to believe, they also recognize in Him something more than the Messiah to which the woman had witnessed. Jesus, by transcending national lines in dealing with them, has laid a basis for a universal affirmation of God’s salvation.
St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, Picayune, MS http://www.scborromeo.org
THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT
SUNDAY, MARCH 15, JOHN 4:5-42 or JOHN 4:5-15, 19b-26, 39a, 40-42
(Exodus 17:3-7; Psalm 95; Romans 5:1-2, 5-8)
SUNDAY, MARCH 15, JOHN 4:5-42 or JOHN 4:5-15, 19b-26, 39a, 40-42
(Exodus 17:3-7; Psalm 95; Romans 5:1-2, 5-8)
KEY VERSE: "The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life" (v.14).
TO KNOW: The woman who met Jesus at the well was despised as a heretical Samaritan, a descendant of the Assyrian occupation. With their mixed Jewish and pagan beliefs, Samaritans were regarded as unfit to worship in the temple in Jerusalem. Thus, the Samaritans built their own temple on Mount Gerizim. Jesus looked beyond national and religious boundaries to the coming of the Spirit who would unite all believers in worship of one God. At first, the woman was suspicious of Jesus, but as he revealed her inner need, the woman changed her attitude. She addressed him as "sir" then as "prophet." Then she recognized Jesus as the Messiah, and finally as her personal Savior. Leaving her empty water jar behind (a symbol of her arid life), the woman ran off to tell the people in the village that she found the Lord. Many believed on the strength of her testimony. Jesus' disciples had gone to the city to buy food, and when they returned, he asked them to pray for others, who, like the woman, would harvest the ripe field of souls that lay before them. Each of us needs a personal encounter with Jesus. St. Augustine said, "It was for you that Jesus was weary from the journey."
TO LOVE: Have I shared Christ's life-giving water with others this Lent?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, increase my thirst for you.
FIRST SCRUTINY FOR THE ELECT
The Scrutiny rites of Lent are communal prayers celebrated to strengthen the elect who are preparing for Baptism to overcome the power of sin in their lives and to grow in the virtues. These ritual celebrations are held on the Third, Fourth and Fifth Sundays of Lent. Where catechumens are present the readings are from the Gospel of John. On the Third Sunday we hear the story of the woman at the well and her thirst for God (Jn 4:4-42). On the Fourth Sunday we hear the story of the man born blind and the healing power of God in his life (Jn 9:1-41). On the Fifth Sunday we hear the story of the raising of Lazarus, reminding us of our own dying and rising with Christ in Baptism (Jn 11:1-45). Since all of us are called to continual conversion throughout our lives, we join with the elect in scrutinizing our own lives and praying to God for the grace to overcome the power of sin that still has a hold on us, and to be strengthened in the virtues.
Sunday 15 March 2020
Exodus 17:3-7. If today you hear his voice, harden not
your hearts – Psalm 94(95):1-2, 6-9. Romans 5:1-2, 5-8. John 4:5-42.
A spring of water welling up to eternal life
John’s Gospel reading sees Jesus in conversation with a
Samaritan woman at a well. Throughout this story, Jesus is seen as transcending
earthly boundaries – between sexes, between cultures, between religious
beliefs, and ultimately between our world and God’s. When questioned by the
Samaritan woman, Jesus points to a time when people will worship not in the
mountains or Jerusalem but in ‘the Spirit and in truth’. He has come to bring
all people, not just Jewish people, to God. Following her encounter with Jesus,
the Samaritan woman becomes one of the first to preach the Good News of Christ,
helping bring many new followers to Christ.
May we, too, be transformed by our encounter with Christ, so
that we might transcend the boundaries that hold us back. We pray especially
that more women might be empowered to preach the Good News of Christ in their
communities.
Saint Louise de Marillac
Saint of the Day for March 15
(August 12, 1591 – March 15, 1660)
Saint Louise de Marillac’s Story
Born near Meux, France, Louise lost her mother when she was
still a child, her beloved father when she was but 15. Her desire to become a
nun was discouraged by her confessor, and a marriage was arranged. One son was
born of this union. But Louise soon found herself nursing her beloved
husband through a long illness that finally led to his death.
Louise was fortunate to have a wise and sympathetic counselor,
Francis de Sales, and then his friend, the bishop of Belley, France. Both of
these men were available to her only periodically. But from an interior
illumination she understood that she was to undertake a great work under the
guidance of another person she had not yet met. This was the holy priest
Monsieur Vincent, later to be known as Saint Vincent de Paul.
At first, he was reluctant to be her confessor, busy as he was
with his “Confraternities of Charity.” Members were aristocratic ladies of
charity who were helping him nurse the poor and look after neglected children,
a real need of the day. But the ladies were busy with many of their own
concerns and duties. His work needed many more helpers, especially ones who
were peasants themselves and therefore, close to the poor and able to win their
hearts. He also needed someone who could teach them and organize them.
Only over a long period of time, as Vincent de Paul became more
acquainted with Louise, did he come to realize that she was the answer to his
prayers. She was intelligent, self-effacing, and had physical strength and
endurance that belied her continuing feeble health. The missions he sent her on
eventually led to four simple young women joining her. Her rented home in Paris
became the training center for those accepted for the service of the sick and
poor. Growth was rapid and soon there was the need for a so-called “rule of
life,” which Louise herself, under the guidance of Vincent, drew up for the
Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul.
Monsieur Vincent had always been slow and prudent in his
dealings with Louise and the new group. He said that he had never had any idea
of starting a new community, that it was God who did everything. “Your
convent,” he said, “will be the house of the sick; your cell, a hired room;
your chapel, the parish church; your cloister, the streets of the city or the
wards of the hospital.” Their dress was to be that of the peasant women. It was
not until years later that Vincent de Paul would finally permit four of the
women to take annual vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. It was still more
years before the company would be formally approved by Rome and placed under
the direction of Vincent’s own congregation of priests.
Many of the young women were illiterate. Still it was with
reluctance that the new community undertook the care of neglected children.
Louise was busy helping wherever needed despite her poor health. She traveled
throughout France, establishing her community members in hospitals, orphanages
and other institutions. At her death on March 15, 1660, the congregation had
more than 40 houses in France. Six months later Vincent de Paul followed her in
death.
Louise de Marillac was canonized in 1934 and declared patroness
of social workers in 1960.
Reflection
In Louise’s day, serving the needs of the poor was usually a
luxury only fine ladies could afford. Her mentor, Saint Vincent de Paul, wisely
realized that women of peasant stock could reach poor people more effectively,
and the Daughters of Charity were born under her leadership. Today, that
order—along with the Sisters of Charity—continues to nurse the sick and aging
and provide refuge for orphans. Many of its members are social workers toiling
under Louise’s patronage. The rest of us must share her concern for the
disadvantaged.
Saint Louise de Marillac is the Patron Saint of:
Social workers
Lectio Divina: 3rd Sunday of Lent (A)
Lectio Divina
Sunday, March 15, 2020
The Meeting of Jesus with the Samaritan Woman
A Dialogue that brings new life
John 4:5-42
A Dialogue that brings new life
John 4:5-42
1. Opening prayer
Lord Jesus, send Your Spirit to help us read the
Scriptures in the same way that You read them to the disciples on the road
to Emmaus. With the light of the Word in the Bible, You helped them to
discover the presence of God in the distressing events surrounding Your
condemnation to death. The cross, which seemed to put an end to all hope, was
revealed to them as the source of life and resurrection.
Create in us the silence necessary to hear Your voice in
creation and in the Scriptures, in the events of daily life and in people,
above all in the poor and the suffering. May Your word give us direction,
just as it did to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, so that we too will
experience the power of Your resurrection and bear witness to others
that You are alive in our midst as the source of community, of justice and
of peace. We ask this of You, Jesus, son of Mary, You who revealed
the Father to us and sent us Your Spirit. Amen.
2. Reading
a) A key for unlocking the text:
The text describes the dialogue between Jesus and the Samaritan
woman. It is a very human conversation, which shows how Jesus related to people
and how He Himself learned and became enriched in talking with
others. While reading the text, try to be aware of what surprises you most
about the attitude both of Jesus and the woman.
b) A division of the text to assist a careful reading:
Jn 4:5-6: Sets the scene in which the dialogue takes place
Jn 4:7-26: Describes the dialogue between Jesus and the woman
7-15: about water and thirst
16-18: about the husband and family
19-25: about religion and the place for adoration
Jn 4:27-30: Describes the effect of the conversation on the woman
Jn 4:31-38: Describes the effect of the conversation on Jesus
Jn 4:39-42: Describes the effect on the mission of Jesus in Samaria
Jn 4:7-26: Describes the dialogue between Jesus and the woman
7-15: about water and thirst
16-18: about the husband and family
19-25: about religion and the place for adoration
Jn 4:27-30: Describes the effect of the conversation on the woman
Jn 4:31-38: Describes the effect of the conversation on Jesus
Jn 4:39-42: Describes the effect on the mission of Jesus in Samaria
c) The text:
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét