THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT 2023

3RD SUNDAY LENT, 12 MARCH 2023: EXODUS 17. 3-7; ROMANS 5. 1-2, 5-8; JOHN 4. 5-42: "LIVING WATER": SAMARITAN WOMAN   Pivot: Thirst for the Living water! Indicative: The real value of life and faith is in travelling constantly from the natural and superficial thirst to crucial and spiritual thirst   1.  There is an elaborate episode of a Samaritan woman in John chapter 04. It is a dramatic interplay and interaction between Jesus and the Samaritan woman. It is a beautiful description and depiction of the encounter between the unquenchable natural "thirst for water" and the quenching supernatural "living water", Jesus. 2.  Jesus takes the initiative to approach the woman and gradually and steadily leads and raises her from the level and realm of the natural to the spiritual: from Jacob's well To the Well of God's own grace, from the natural water To the water of the Holy Spirit 3.  It is a transition from the natural thirst To the spiritual thirst, from worshipping God in some places like Jerusalem or elsewhere To worshipping Him in Spirit and truth, from a temporary satisfaction of quenching the thirst To the perpetual fulfillment of quenching the eternal thirst for salvation and eternal life. 4.  It is a decisive leap from a simple respect toward Jesus as a man of God To the profound realisation and homage toward him as the Messiah and Son of God, from a humble openness through an honest acknowledgement of one's own sinful situation To a profound acceptance of the Saviour, from an ordinary struggle for the worldly needs and interests To the noble striving for God's will, which becomes the "food and drink". 5.  Once again, in Jesus we witness God's unquenchable thirst to grace and uplift the fragile and low human condition. Jesus initiates the Samaritan woman on a progressive journey of realisation of self and God. This is a touching journey of harmony of self-discovery and self-realisation and God-discovery and God- realisation. 6.   This encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman is not merely an encounter between two individuals. Rather it is a constant encounter between the divine and the human, between the divine initiative and the human acceptance, between the divine gift and the human reception, and between the divine operation and human cooperation. 7.  One who is humble and transparent to be with Jesus, to enter into dialogue with him, to listen to Him and to follow his direction, will surely be led to discover one's own sinfulness and thereby discover and adhere to God's holiness and goodness. 8.   The woman who begins with a mere concern for water, climbs up to the deepest desire for living water. She is led to surrender her life to the Messiah and to become an earnest evangeliser bringing others as well to Jesus. 9.  Docility to God, awareness of one's sinfulness, awareness of God's sanctity and might, bearing witness and mission to others - these are the essential ingredients of the journey of faith.   Imperative: Only an unquenchable thirst for God and for His grace can quench the deeper thirst of the human spirit