Homily March 20, 2022, Third Sunday of Lent Year A Readings (For RCIA)

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 Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/032022-YearA.cfm

“Come see a man who told me everything I have done. Could he possibly be the Christ?”

We all love a good story, especially true stories that start with challenges, but end good.

My grandfather used to tell us many stories about his life. My siblings and I never get bored hearing about his adventures with king cobras and tigers. 

He would always end by praising God for leading him to safety in all his encounters. I would often imagine myself in those same exciting situations.

Today’s Gospel is about a beautiful story of a woman, with a dark past, living with rejection in her life, who heard her life story retold by a holy man she met, in an unlikely situation. Nobody draws water at noon time, no Jew talks to a Samaritan. 

But that encounter changed her life totally. Her darkness was dispersed into bursts of joy and hope.

‘Jesus and the Samaritan woman’ is a story about God breaking barriers – social, physical and spiritual, to reach His people, to connect, to transform.

Can you imagine yourself in that same beautiful encounter with Jesus? Her story is our story.

God continues to break the barriers that separate humanity from divinity. He seeks us and reaches out us. 

In today’s second reading, St. Paul says, “while we were still sinners he died for us”. He does not wait for us to become sinless, He makes the first move to redeem us.

So, what is keeping us from being transformed by God’s graces and gifts? What are the barriers?

Us. We, ourselves, are the blocks, our sins are our barriers - our pride, our stubbornness, our attachments to material vanities and temporal possessions, our unwillingness to let go of our past, our comfort, our pleasures, our insecurities, our addictions. These keep us hooked and prevent us from getting closer to God.

Jesus offered the woman “living water”. This water frees us and leads us to abundance of graces, to eternal life. Jesus is offering us the same.

But no one can fill a glass with new wine if it is full of stale drink. Are we willing to empty ourselves so that Jesus can fill us with His living water?

Our catechumens and candidates here today have been called to receive this living water of Christ. And they are ready to pour out their old ways to receive new life this Easter vigil.

Christ’s living water is the waters of baptism, freeing us from our past. It is the fire of His spirit, burning us with zeal for holiness. It is the word of God, inspiring and leading us in wisdom and truth. It is life in the spirit of Christ.

Each of us have encountered Jesus in our own special ways. He knows our life stories too well. He is the Christ.

Mother Teresa said, “The more we empty ourselves, the more room we give God to fill us.”

Have we allowed Jesus to fill us and transform us? Let us do some spring cleaning this Lent, clear out the unnecessary stuff through the sacraments and make space in our souls for some refreshing living water. 

Amen.

Fr. Nivin Scaria

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