3rd SUNDAY OF LENT - YEAR A - Gospel (John 4:5 - 42) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
FIRST READING - Ex 17:3-7
"Why then did you bring us up out of Egypt? To have us die of thirst?"
A reading from the Book of Exodus
3 Here, then, in their thirst for water, the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “Why then did you bring us up out of Egypt? To have us die 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 on ahead of the people, and take along with you some of the elders of Israel, holding in your hand, as you go, the staff with which you struck the Nile. 6 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. Moses did this, in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 The place was named Massah and Meribah,[a] because the Israelites quarreled there and tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord in our midst or not?”
SECOND READING - Rom 5:1-2, 5-8
"The love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit that has been given to us."
A reading from the Letter to the Romans
[a] 1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace[b] with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 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. 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.[a] 8 But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Jn 4:5-42
"A spring of water welling up to eternal life."
From the Gospel according to John
5 So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar,[a] near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was 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 [b]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.) 10 [c]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.” 11 [The woman] said to him, “Sir,[d] you do not even have a bucket and the well is deep; where then can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this well and drank from it himself with his children and his flocks?” 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.” 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.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Go call your husband and come back.” 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.” 19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain;[e] but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.” 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. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth;[f] and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth.” 25 [g]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.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I am he,[h] the one who is speaking with you.”
27 At that moment his disciples returned, and were amazed that he was talking with a woman,[i] 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?” 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?” 34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of the one who sent me and to finish his work. 35 Do you not say, ‘In four months[j] the harvest will be here’? I tell you, look up and see the fields ripe for the harvest. 36 The reaper is already[k] receiving his payment and gathering crops for eternal life, so that the sower and reaper can rejoice together. 37 For here the saying is verified that ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 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[l] who testified, “He told me everything I have done.” 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.”
3rd SUNDAY OF LENT - YEAR A - Gospel (John 4:5 - 42)
THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
Dear people of God,
In today's Word of God, God the Father calls upon all humanity to turn towards the Kingdom of Heaven, to believe in Him as the source of life, the living water that nourishes humanity.
Physically, if there is no water, humanity will die. If there is no water, which is the source of life from God, then the human soul will not have eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven, but will go to hell, which is the eternal death of the soul.
As in today's Gospel, God reveals to humanity that the source of life is found in Jesus Christ; only in Him does eternal life come to humanity.
When humanity clings to God and drinks from the spring of eternal life in God, humanity will exist and will live forever in the Kingdom of Heaven with God the Father, and with the heavenly host.
Without Him, humanity will suffer eternal death in hell with Satan.
What is eternal life here? It is the Living Word that originates from the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ; in Him, eternal life comes to humanity through His sacrifice, death, and resurrection.
Today's Word of God calls everyone to proclaim God's love and mercy to humanity, to run to God, the only One who grants eternal life to humanity.
In God, there is only love, only what is good, holy, virtuous, and loving.
No love is as great as God's love for humanity! Therefore, proclaim God's love and mercy to humanity, as today's Gospel has shown: the image of a Samaritan woman who went to draw water at noon and met the Living Water, Jesus Christ.
When God touched her human heart, she immediately became joyful, rejoiced, and happy, forgetting even the worldly water and ran to proclaim the Good News to everyone: “come and see, I have met the Savior, the Messiah, the One who brings eternal life to humanity.”
When people are touched by God, let their hearts be open to receive Him, and listen to Him, they will have a happy and peaceful life—not only in this life but also in fullness in the life to come.
True happiness and peace are a source of life that humanity always yearns to find for this life and the next.
Through God's Word today, through the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all humanity, influenced by a Samaritan woman who went to draw water, everyone was called to come to Jesus Christ, to stay with Him, to listen to His Word and teachings to gain eternal life.
And they believe absolutely that in the Lord is the source of life, the source of peace, the source of happiness, the source of love.
If any person does not have God, they will not have love, peace, or eternal happiness in this life and the next.
Trust absolutely in the power, strength, and promise of God that all who follow Him, trust absolutely in Him, stay by Him, in Him, with Him, will be granted eternal life. As mentioned in the first reading from the Book of Genesis about the Jewish people who, when following the Lord, abandoned Egypt, abandoned slavery to material things and money, and courageously followed God's call, going with Him, He would bestow full power and miracles to sustain and save His people during the desert journey, like water springing up from a rock.
If God had not intervened with His mighty hand, would humanity still live? Certainly not!
Thus, looking back at the journey of history, people today can see that many times humanity has complained against God and pushed Him out of their hearts and out of their lives in order to seek the pleasures of this world. Yet in doing so, they often find only suffering and death, without attaining the true peace and happiness that the human heart constantly longs for, awaits, and seeks.
So, through God's Word today, through the first reading from the Book of Genesis and through the Gospel reading, God the Father calls humanity to return to God, to believe absolutely in His teachings, for only in Him can humanity find the source of eternal life.
Only in Him is found the Living Water that never leaves one thirsty; the Living Water nourishes humans, and they will never die.
Eliminate worldly pleasures, enjoyments, passions, sins, and temptations that belong to the world, that belong to Satan, in order to reconcile with God, to be with Him, in Him, to listen to His commandments, which are to love, to forgive, to be benevolent, to be merciful, to be gentle, to be humble, to be simple, to hope, to trust in God the Father in all things, to believe absolutely in Him; He will act, He will support, He will protect, preserve, and sustain His people not only in body but also in spirit.
In this world, God the Father lets humanity today know that Satan tempts and infiltrates people, causing many to abandon God and follow Satan.
Cast them out of yourselves, for as long as you live on this earth, there is still an opportunity to change yourselves, to change your lifestyle, to change your thoughts, to change your way of working, and to change your barren, hateful, stony, dark heart, and to put on a heart that knows love, benevolence, forgiveness, gentleness, and humility, just as God has always loved, cared for, preserved, protected, defended, and created life for His people to exist and live in this world, in this universe.
Listen to God's call: come and be with Him, just as the Samaritan woman, upon meeting God, forgot her water jar, forgot her physical thirst, to go and seek and call everyone to come and share her joy, which is to meet God, listen to Him, trust in Him, and find peace and happiness when being with God.
Today's Word of God, once again, emphasizes that humanity should place absolute trust in the Word of God and in the life found in Him.
Only in Him can eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven be given to humanity. Only in Him can both the soul and the body be nourished so that people may have peace and happiness. Only in Him are found true peace, happiness, eternal love, and the fullness that the human heart constantly longs for and seeks.
Apart from Him, no other god, no other Satan, can bring eternal life and perfect happiness in the Kingdom of Heaven to humanity.
Only in Him can humanity be nourished with the Eucharistic Bread and the Living Water in this life and the next.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
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