Homily: March 23,2025, Third Sunday of Lent (First Scrutiny of the elect)

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 "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (John 4:13-14)

On the third, fourth, and fifth Sundays of Lent, we celebrate the Rites of Scrutiny with our elects - those preparing to receive the Sacraments of Initiation, to enter the Catholic Church, as part of the period of ‘Purification and Enlightenment.

The purification process is God's way of helping to remove the stain and dirt from the souls of the Elect, so to see the true good and beauty of each soul. God does not scrutinize to find the wrongs but to celebrate the real identity of each child of His, revealing the value within each of us and rejoicing in the light of Christ reflecting from us.

Each of these Sundays has a powerful theme: Water, Light and Life. These themes are presented through the Gospel texts of various encounters with Jesus Christ: the woman at the well, healing the blind man and raising Lazarus.

Both the first reading and the Gospel of today take place within the context of a journey. First, the Israelites were traveling over 40 years through the wilderness towards the Promised Land. Next, Jesus was traveling from Judea to Galilee, passing through Samaria on a 75-mile journey.

The journey is a pilgrimage of faith. The pilgrimage is a rite of passage, a rite of scrutiny, where we become more and more purified, and shine brighter as we progress on in the journey, nearer to our destiny.

We do not walk alone; God walks with us.

This year, we are blessed with 21 catechumens. Eighteen will receive the sacraments at the Easter Vigil, and four of our Burmese catechumens will receive them on Divine Mercy Sunday.

They do not walk alone; we walk with them.

We pray for them and with them, we welcome and support them, we approach the waters of eternal life with them. Jesus promised that “the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." This water is free for all who come to Jesus and accept Him.

But this walk towards eternity is not smooth and comfortable. As Pope Benedict XVI said: "The world offers you comfort, but you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness."

We are called to be more. Our life is meant to be full.

Dear elect, like the woman at the well, let go the past and trust Jesus, yearn to drink the living water that Jesus gives, to live the full life that Jesus lives. We are here with you.

Amen.


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