THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT
28 FEBRUARY 2016
The
Israelites in the first reading are in a desperate situation. They are in a scorching and dangerous
desert. They had considered their
slavery in Egypt as unbearable. But this
is worse! They are parched with thirst,
because there is no water. They are
dying of hunger, because they have no food.
Of course, they blame Moses, their leader, for dragging them into this
situation. And they ask a good
question: “Is the Lord in our midst or not?”
Moses
answers that question in an interesting way.
At God’s direction, he brings out the same staff that he had used to
part the waters of the Red Sea. That
staff reminds the people that God had worked in a powerful way on their
behalf. As he strikes the rock to bring
forth water for the people to drink, he reminds them that God has not abandoned
them. God has been with them all along. They need to connect God’s past revelations
to their present difficulties.
The woman
at the well may be asking the same question:
“Is the Lord in our midst or not?”
She has not had much luck with men.
After five husbands, she is living with another man. Odds are good that her choices have not
gotten much better. Even worse, her
neighbors have judged her so badly that she goes to draw water in the searing
heat of the noon day sun, instead of joining them to draw water in the cool of
the morning and evening. Into her life
strides the seventh bridegroom, the light of the world (symbolized by the noon
day sun). This bridegroom, who had
turned water into wine at the wedding feast of Cana, slowly reveals himself to
her, as she thirsts for acceptance. At
first, she recognizes him as a kind Jewish man who is willing to talk to a
Samaritan woman. Then, she sees him as a
prophet, when he tells her the truth about herself without condemning or
judging. Finally, he comes out and
reveals himself to her as the Christ, the promised Messiah. This unlikely recipient of the Lord’s self-revelation
becomes the first evangelist and proclaims the Good News of Salvation to the
people of her village. As a result, they
invite him to stay with them to share his indwelling presence.
At the 8:45
and 10:30 Masses, we call forward the Elect, those preparing for the Easter
Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist. Like the Israelites in the desert or the
woman at the well, they had asked the same question: “Is the Lord in our midst or not?” They have been drawn to the Rite of Christian
Initiation gradually. Some of them came
to us, because their spouses or fiancés are Catholic. Some came, because they wanted their children
to have an example of two parents practicing their faith. Others were drawn, because they came to a
funeral or a wedding and became interested in the Catholic faith. For the last year, they have joined us on
Tuesday nights. We have taught them the
truths of the faith, shared food and reflections, and prayed together. They have been drawn into the life of the
Church through their participation at the Liturgy of the Word at Sunday Mass
and through the Rites of the Church. As
we celebrate the Scrutinies with them, we pray that they be protected from the
power of the evil one and that they continue to thirst for the waters of
rebirth at the Easter Vigil.
As we pray
over these good people, we have to be honest enough to admit that we ask the
same question sometimes: “Is the Lord in
our midst or not?” We ask this question
when things go badly, when we experience life’s tragedies, or when we do not
receive the answers we seek through our prayers. The Lord answers that question with a
resounding “yes.” As we journey through
Lent with the Elect to renew our Baptismal promises at Easter, we too take
another look at the ways in which we have experienced the goodness of the Lord
in our lives. The Lord was with us
then. The Lord is with us now. The Lord manifests his saving power in the
Paschal Mystery. We renew our faith in
this Mystery at the Sacred Paschal Triduum.
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