Third Sunday of Lent (John 4:5-42) “Go seek out the people on the margins.”

Third Sunday of Lent (John 4:5-42) “Go seek out the people on the margins.” 

        Pope Francis has made this a constant theme of his pontificate.  “Go make disciples.”  The words are Bishop Tylka’s episcopal motto.  Every bishop has a code of arms.  If you look at our bishop’s code of arms these words are across the bottom.  Why do church leaders emphasize these ideas?  Because that is what Jesus did.

        The Gospel of what we read today emphasizes this.  The episode described, is often entitled, “The Woman at the Well.”  The conversation that Jesus has with this unnamed woman is the longest conversation that Jesus has with anyone in any Gospel.

        We could say is that Jesus went to the margins to find this woman.  Several facts about this situation tell us that.  Jesus was traveling through Samaria.  Samaria was a part of the country that lay between Galilee and Jerusalem.  The Samaritans and the Jews believed in the same God.  The two groups did not get along because they were of different racial backgrounds. Samaritans and Jews had such animosity towards each other that they had to have separate temples.  The Samaritans worshiped on Mt. Gerizim in Samaria.  The Jews had their temple in Jerusalem.  When a Jew traveled to Jerusalem they would avoid Samaria, walking around it to the East.  But Jesus walked right through the middle of Samaria as he walked to Jerusalem.

        As he passed through Samaria, he stopped at Jacob’s well.  He went in the middle of the day.  The woman he meets comes out to get water.  A woman usually didn’t perform this task in heat of the day unless they were trying to avoid other people.  The woman in question was ashamed of something. 

        She was, as we find out, a woman of questionable reputation.  She was married five times.  She was living with a man who wasn’t her husband.  We can imagine the small-town gossip that revolved around her.  Was it an accident that Jesus met her at the well?  In the Gospel of John, Jesus is portrayed as someone who is always in control of what he does.  Accidental encounters don’t happen with the Johannine Jesus. 

        Another interesting thing to ponder is that Jesus talks a lot about water, about quenching people’s thirst, but he is the one who is thirsty.  He was thirsty.  We have a popular type of religious art that reflects this concept.  Quite often we may see Jesus depicted dying on the cross.  The words, “I thirst” are at times emblazoned over his head.  The words are some of the last words that Jesus spoke while he was on the earth. 

        What do they mean?  We could make all kinds of guesses.  Did he physically thirst at the hour of his death?  Yes.  Do those around the world thirst because they are poor, not having pure water to drink?  Yes.  And there are many other needs that destitute people have that need to be met.  Allegorically Jesus could be calling out for those in most need. 

        But what Jesus may thirst for more than anything is for a relationship with us.  Jesus wants to be in relationship with everyone.  When the invitation to be part of his family is rejected, he is saddened.  He deliberately seeks people out like he did the woman at the well. 

        He wants to give her the living water of intimacy with him.  He wanted to free her from shame and guilt.  She finally realizes that he isn’t going to use her, but he wants to liberate her.  When the woman understands the water that she can drink, the water of redemption.  She is overjoyed.

        We are dared by Jesus to do two things today.  We are asked to commit to pursuing a closer relationship with Jesus.  Jesus thirsts for our affection.  Do we desire to be close to him?  We are also challenged to go to those who are in need to tell them about Jesus.  Many people today are thirsting, they probably don’t know for what.  Maybe they are like the woman in the gospel, cynical, hostile, or suspicious.  Can we be the ones to help quench their thirst for purpose and meaning in their life?

Reflection Questions:

Is my relationship with Jesus an accident?  Did he choose me, or did I choose him?

Who is a person living on the margins in my life? How could I help them?

Dear Parishioners,

        The 4th Sunday of Lent, Bishop Tylka will be at our 4 p.m. Saturday Mass.  He will be blessing our new Gathering Center.  We will still have some punch list items to work through before we take full possession of the building, but we celebrate this gift to our parish.

        It seems appropriate that we celebrate Laetare Sunday.  Laetare is a word that means rejoice.  We are halfway through our Lenten penance.  Pink or rose is worn as a sign of our happiness.

        This truly is a happy day.  After many years of planning and fund raising, we finally have an addition that offers us many needed amenities.  As we all know, there has been a stage by stage process that has led to this day. 

        I hesitate to say that this is the last stage of our building program.  The truth is that with so many buildings on campus we will always be trying to meet capital needs.  But I will say we have gotten ahead of the maintenance curve.

        I thank all those that have helped get us to this point.  The names are too numerous to list here.  Many people have been generous with their time, talent and treasure.

        The building is more than brick and motor.  It will be a space that will help us build up our community spirit.  It is a place where we will often congregate before sacramental celebrations that mark significant moments in parishioners lives.  It will be a place where we can build up the body of Christ which is certainly to be joyful about.  We hope to have another party soon when we can celebrate the retirement of the remaining debt.

        Until that time we continue to ask St. Damian the Leper, patron of our building process to intercede for us. 

        Fr. Mark