The 3rd. Sunday of Lent

There are many ways to characterize this generation – I would use the word “Thirsty”, a thirst to get more, and more out of life, yet never satisfied. Forever going back to the well for more; thirsting for greater excitement, greater pleasures out of life; for more possessions to fill up the “never enough” empty spaces; More distractions, more entertainment, with less reality; more and more places to go, things to see; more friends, more relationships, yet fewer commitments - day after day, returning to the well with a thirst that never seems to be satisfied. Jesus word today: “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but the one who drinks of the water that I will give will never be thirsty. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” The woman in today’s gospel is a troubled, thirsting person – five failed marriages, now on her sixth, coming to the well again, alone, in the heat of the day, because she has been ostracized by her community. But on this day, there will be an encounter that will change everything and end her painful thirsting. She has tried all the angles for a happy life. She can converse on the issues of religion, but she does not know love, until today. Jesus takes her through the wreckage of her life to the very centre of her thirsting heart – revealing to her God’s love. This woman is experiencing the healing of memories. Jesus leads her through a general confession and the receiving of the grace of forgiveness. Her encounter with Jesus is a model for the real purpose for Lent. Lent is for the thirsting – they who know too well the futility of their lives, the emptiness of their vessels. Lent is a time for us to encounter Jesus at the “Well of Forgiveness”, or the sacrament of Confession. There are many resources we can go to prepare for the sacrament of Confession. These often appear in a form that resembles a checklist. But, as we see with the women at the well, preparation should begin in “conversation” with Jesus, in prayer, where we begin by asking Jesus, who knows us perfectly, where we should be looking. In Ignatian Spirituality, this is known as the Prayer of Examine. It is meant to be an ongoing spiritual practice. For those unfamiliar with the Prayer of Examine, Lent is a perfect time to include it in one’s prayer life. The Ignatian website has all the information you need. . . . LINK . . . More suggestions for the Sacrament of Confession: . . . LINK . . . A final thought. There is someone today who is thirsting more than anyone else in the world. In the Seven Last Words of Jesus from the Cross, the 5th is, “I Thirst.” This very day, these very Lenten days, Jesus continues to thirst for our hearts; for our surrender in faith to his love. Your response?

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