Message from Fr. Brito:

3rd Sunday of Lent

     Today day's Gospel story is a very beautiful display of God mercy and grace for all people. The Lord reaches out to a Samaritan woman, who is drawing water at the well, with a simple request; a request that was breaking the cultural and political norms of the day. Jesus says: “Give me a drink of water”

The request is meet with sarcasm from the Woman:

                             “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan- so how can you ask me for a drink?”

With this reply the conversation with Jesus begins.

          We need to learn a lesson from the Samaritan Woman.This very honest and confident women, represents people who have fallen out of grace with God and the community. Jesus says to her: “Salvation comes from the Jews” But he goes on to show her, that salvation is not only for the Jews, but is now offer to everyone.

     This blessed woman is filled with such a welling up of gratitude and joy that she becomes one of the first evangelists.  She tells her people what Jesus has done for her, and she shares her joy with them. Jesus sends her away with a new sense of her dignity. She feels the love of God in her heart. She was trying to fill the emptiness in her heart with the many men she had enter into relationship with. Jesus doesn’t condemn her, nor does he condone her sin, rather he shows her that what she is thirsting for is the love of God. She feels this love during her encounter with Jesus the messiah.

    We also Like the Samaritan women maybe be trying to satisfy this thirst with the things this world offers. Many times, like the Samaritan woman, we try to quench it with a sinful way of living. But these choices only makes us parched. It is like a person who dies of thirst while floating on a raft  surrounded by ocean by water. That water can not save our lives, in fact it will make us sick and hasten death.

     Moses taps into the rock which flows forth to quench the people thirst. Christ is the rock from which flows his love to satisfies the longing of many. Like the Samaritan woman we must ask Jesus  for this living water that wells up in us to enteral life. Amen