Dear friends,
Today’s the Third Sunday of Lent. We start the scrutinies as we pray for and with our brothers and sisters who preparing for Easter sacraments. As we read the story of the woman at the Well, we discover how God knows and loves us. He sees us as we are and asks us to rely on him. He is the one to quench our thirst.
Two things can be considered here. The first one is the fact that encounter with Christ is always and should always be the beginning of an evangelizing journey. The woman goes and shares with other that she saw someone who told her everything about herself. Could this be the Messiah? Today, we listen from Jesus as he tells us our personal story. We are meant to go and share the story of that encounter with the Lord who quenches our thirst with his words and body. He confirms to us that He is the wellspring of living water. When we come searching for water, we are busy fetching water which never quenches our thirst. On the contrary, he is the one who satisfies our longing for living water. The proof he gives us is that he knows more than we do what our needs are and the way to satisfy them.
The second idea stems from the first. It is the direct consequence from the first: our witness and testimony should draw others to encounter Christ and to listen to Him. What captivates my personal attention in today’s gospel is the reaction from the Samaritans towards the woman after they have listened to Christ. From the woman’s witness, they come to encounter Christ and to listen to Him themselves. And there, the confession is amazing, especially given that they are Samaritans. They say, “We no longer believe because of your word; for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is the savior of the world.” Let us take a minute here and imagine someone telling us these very same and powerful words after we have shared with them the story of our encounter with Christ! Wouldn’t it be great and very refreshing that Christ has used us to make him known? Let us strive to bear witness with courage and be eager to share the story of our encounter with Christ in order to draw other to Him and allow them to experience the transforming encounter with Christ who is the wellspring of the living water.
As we learn humility and surrender from Saint Joseph throughout this year, let us continue to pray for one another and for our parish family.
Fr. Emery