Third Sunday of Lent  cycle A

What do you thirst for in life? Do you thirst for the necessities of life or do you thirst for material things, pleasure, success, power, etc.  Today’s readings speak of getting priorities straight.   On this third Sunday of Lent examine where your life is out of balance and what you can do to get back on course.

Jesus meets the woman at the well where she is…seeking water to drink.  He leads her from the water in the well to the living water welling up inside her, the water that satisfies all thirsts.  She is so enthralled with Jesus’ message that she leaves her water jar at the well and runs to bring the good news, Jesus, to her hometown. Having encountered Jesus, she begins to live her life at a new and deeper level. God becomes her priority.   The well will always be there for drinking water but the woman has been energized by the Spirit, the living water of Jesus. Living the good news and bringing the good news becomes her main task. 

In a way, Paul continues the theme of living water.  He tells us that God’s love has been poured into our hearts and we have been infused with the Spirit of God.  When our lives are in balance, our needs and our wants become one.  Then the Spirit becomes our energizing force.  We experience peace. This does not mean there won’t be trials and suffering but our approach to both will be different.  We will be able to trust in the providence of God to walk us through tough times.  As God provided water for the Israelites in the desert, God will provide for our needs also. 

This week we are called to look at our lives and begin the balancing act.  This is one more step to rising to a new and deeper life on Easter Sunday.

Sr. Josephine Aparo, MPF
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