ONLY JESUS CAN QUENCH YOUR THIRST (3rd Sunday of Lent, Year A) скачать в хорошем качестве

ONLY JESUS CAN QUENCH YOUR THIRST (3rd Sunday of Lent, Year A)

Today, our Gospel passage presents us with the story of a woman who met Jesus at a really bad time in her life. This was a woman who had had several broken relationships with different men. Due to her poor reputation in the community, she relegated herself to living in the shadows – hiding from people and coming out only when she knew she wouldn’t meet anyone. Like this woman, there are times we become enveloped with shame and guilt over our past that we feel like hiding from everyone. Jesus’ attitude to this woman clearly shows that God loves us not because we are sinless but despite our sinfulness. As St. Paul explains in today’s second reading, the proof of God’s love for us is that Jesus died for us while we were yet sinners. (Cf. Romans 5:8). No matter what your past has been, today is the day you meet Jesus at the well. You may have suffered from several heartbreaks, been cheated on, lied to, abused or insulted. You may have done things that you are not proud of. All these happened because, like the Israelites in the desert, you were “tormented by thirst” – you were searching for love in the wrong place, searching for happiness in a world of fleeting pleasures, searching for satisfaction in created things, forgetting that only God can satisfy the deepest yearnings of your heart. St. Augustine would say, “Our hearts are restless until they rest in God. Let us now consider some lessons for today: 1. Anyone who drinks this Water will Thirst Again – This World is Vanity This world is not our own; we brought nothing, and we shall return with nothing. There is nothing in this world that lasts, nothing that is capable of satisfying us, nothing worth comparing to the living water of salvation that Jesus brings. The disciples had gone out to buy food. They asked Jesus to eat, but he said: “I have food which you do not know about.” No wonder Jesus said to the devil, “Man shall not survive by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. Ordinary food cannot sustain you; the more you eat it, the more you pass it out and become hungry again. Feed your soul; nourish your spiritual life, and you will find inner satisfaction. 2. Life Without God Is Nothing but Self-Torment On their way to the Promised Land, the children of Israel, despite having witnessed the wonders of God in the land of Egypt, despite seeing how the sea divided for them to walk through it as on the dry ground, despite seeing how those who pursued them were destroyed in the sea, despite being fed by manna and quails in the desert, the people turned towards Moses. They said: “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?” One clear sign that you are not close to God is when you catch yourself complaining at every slight instance. Of course, when you take God out of the picture, nothing else makes sense. The children of Israel complained bitterly because they forgot that it was God leading them; they assumed it was Moses, and instead of calling on God through prayer, they complained against Moses. 3. Worship God in Spirit and Truth Dear friends, on the last day, we shall all be judged not by the church we attended but by the way we worshipped God. As Jesus warns: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers.’” (Matthew 7:21-23). We may deceive everyone, but we can never deceive God. Repent today and come out of the darkness. 4. No One Drinks Living Water and Keeps It to Himself This woman, who had been ashamed of her past, ran to the village and freely talked about her former life and how Jesus had transformed her. You know you have truly repented when you can talk about your shameful past freely with others. To evangelise is to bring Christ to people; to tell them your story, how Christ has changed you. John tells us that “many Samaritans believed in Jesus because of the woman’s testimony.” Let us pray: O God, author of every mercy and of all goodness, who in fasting, prayer and almsgiving have shown us a remedy for sin, look graciously on this confession of our lowliness, that we, who are bowed down by our conscience, may always be lifted by your mercy. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. @Rev. Fr. Evaristus E. Abu