Read this week's message from Father Don
Dear friends,
The water that I will give you will become in you a spring of water gushing up to eternal life. (Jn. 4.14). That is the promise Jesus gave to the Samaritan woman in the gospel of the Third Sunday in Lent. She was thirsty and he offered her “living water.”
Thirst is a metaphor for human longing and human need. We can say that people “thirst” for love, peace of heart or relief from suffering. We can also observe that people often try to satisfy their “thirst” in inadequate ways. Bad relationships, shopping, drinking and other worldly comforts are among the common “solutions” by which people try to relieve their thirst.
The gospel reminds us that God is the only one who can truly satisfy our inner longing but that he often does so in ways we don’t expect. The woman at the well was hoping that “living water” would provide her with an easy solution to the burdensome task of carrying water to her home. What Jesus offered was something quite different, God close at hand whenever she would call upon him.
Jesus satisfies us not with what we want but with what we need: HIMSELF. He alone is the water that gives life and sustains us on our daily journey.
Let us be honest, we live in a desert where weariness and disappointment are our daily companions. We don’t need more beer or shoes or holidays or money, we need the constant companionship of “God-with-us,” the One who lifts us up and cradles us in his loving arms.
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Don’t forget our shared act of Lenten self-denial: when you wake up in the morning, do not touch your phone, check your messages, or post on social media for 15 minutes and spend three of those minutes praying for someone you know.
Love,
Father Don