Sunday, March 8, 2026

 

THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT
(Exodus 17:3–7; Romans 5:1–2, 5–8; John 4:5–42)

Today’s Gospel highlights the encounter between Jesus and the famous “woman at the well.” It is so important for the catechumenate that it may be read every year on the Third Sunday of Lent. It describes a dynamic of the spiritual life: how Jesus, the Good Shepherd, seeks out the lost sheep in order to give her eternal life.

Jesus is alone as he waits for the Samaritan woman at the well. He wants to speak with her about her life. When she arrives, Jesus does not hesitate to begin the conversation. But he does not start by referring to sin. Rather, he says, “Give me a drink.” It is a reasonable request at noon in a dry land. For her, however, it is an unexpected remark. She is a woman, a stranger, and from a rival nation—that is, the kind of person with whom respectable Jews would not speak directly. Yet what concerns Jesus is not her sociological profile but her soul.

The fact that the woman comes alone indicates her isolation. The other women probably avoid her because she lives in sin. But she is not unintelligent. She confidently replies that it is not customary for a Jew to ask something of a Samaritan woman. Then Jesus raises the level of the conversation. He moves it from the physical to the spiritual by offering her “living water.” He explains that living water not only satisfies thirst forever but also brings eternal life. But she—whether because she cannot imagine the grace symbolized by baptismal water or because she is mocking him—asks for this water so that she will not have to return to the well each day.

Now Jesus addresses the woman’s sin. He reveals that she has been married several times and is currently living with a man outside of marriage. Uncomfortable speaking about her personal life, she tries to change the subject to religion. She notes that Samaritans and Jews worship in different places. Jesus then offers her the way to overcome these differences and to worship God “in spirit and in truth.” This expression can be understood as referring to the Spirit of Truth—that is, the Holy Spirit. Jesus is offering her the Holy Spirit, who is the source of grace.

The grace of the Holy Spirit is to the spiritual life what water is to natural life. Just as water removes toxins from the body, grace forgives sins. Just as water carries nutrients to body members, grace enlivens the whole body to give praise to God. And just as water regulates temperature to sustain bodily processes, grace moderates the passions so that a person may seek God.

When she says that the Messiah will bring perfect worship, Jesus identifies himself as that Messiah. She accepts him and, like a good disciple, she goes to tell everyone about him. She leaves her water jar behind because she is no longer concerned about natural water, having received supernatural water from Jesus.

All of us are like the Samaritan woman—not only because we sin, but also because we try to satisfy our deepest desires with material things. Yet since God has made us for himself, those desires cannot be satisfied by BMWs, champagne, or European vacations. Our deepest desires are to know that we are truly loved, to have the awareness of having done what is good, and to possess the assurance of salvation. To attain all this, we need the grace of the Holy Spirit. Grace springs forth in the waters of Baptism and grows to help us face life’s challenges through the other sacraments. Grace gives us eternal life, strengthens us, and directs us toward God. Do you know of anything in life more valuable than the grace of the Holy Spirit?

 

Saturday, March 7, 2026

 

Saturday of the Second Week of Lent

(Micah 7:14-15.18-20; Luke 15:1-3.11-32)

People usually contrast the two sons in the “Parable of the Prodigal.”  One is older; the other, younger.  One leaves his father; the other stays home.  One squanders his fortune; the other is as tight as a clam.  And so on. Perhaps readers might profitably compare the brothers’ similarities.  They have the same father.  They also have the same sense of privilege.  Both believe that the inheritance is his by right, not by the father’s will.  And both spurn their father.  One leaves him as if he were dead.  The other refuses to call him “father” when he hosts a party at his son’s return.  Finally, both are stymied by pride.  The younger when he hesitates to return home after spending his money.  The older by refusing to recognize his chastened brother.

In noting the similarities, we should not fail to see their common traits in ourselves.  We likely think in terms of rights and privileges.  Many of us are not above claiming our rights and forgetting our responsibilities to others.  We too often allow pride to blind us from doing what is right.

The turning point in the parable comes when the younger son contemplates the lot of the pigs that he is forced to deal with.  He sees that the pigs have food and that he doesn’t.  He likely notices as well how the pigs eat in filth and fight among themselves for more pods to eat.  The young man then “comes to his senses.”  He remembers that on his father’s farm there is food aplenty.  He should realize also that he is a human being, and not a pig.  As such, he should not behave like them but emulate the best of his kind.  He seems to do so when he overcomes his pride and returns to his father with a confession on his lips.

The parable ends without saying whether the elder son comes to the same realization.  As the father offers this son a chance to repent of his anger against his brother, God offers us an opportunity to curb our pride and selfishness during Lent.

Friday, March 6, 2026

 

Friday of the Second Week of Lent

(Genesis 37:3-4.12-13a.17b-28a; Matthew 21:33-43;45-46)

Today’s gospel signals a change in direction for the season of Lent.  Its “parable” is very much an allegory, a one-for-one representation of the players in a historical event.  Rather than promote Lenten discipline, the allegory looks forward to Christ’s coming passion, resurrection, and ascension. 

In the allegory the landowner is God the Father, who established the Kingdom of Israel, represented by the vineyard.  The tenants are Jewish leaders, who exploit their positions by not leading the people to holiness.  When the owner sends his servants, who are the prophets in salvation history, the tenants mistreat and even kill them.  Finally, the vineyard owner sends his only son, that is Jesus, Son of God.  The vicious tenants kill him also in attempt to acquire the owner’s legacy.  Finally, the owner takes the land from the original tenants and gives it to others.  These are the members of the Church, the New Israel.

As members of the Church, we must not think that the rules God establishes for the Jewish leaders do not apply to us.  We too are expected to help one another (of course, this goes double for bishops and priests) to attain holiness.  We do this by encouraging prayer and upright living among one another.  We also seek to improve the lives of those living at the margins so that they too may prosper.  Finally, we reach out to the people of other faith traditions to tell them of our Father’s love in Jesus Christ.

Thursday, March 5, 2026

 

Thursday of the Second Week of Lent

(Jeremiah 17:5-10; Luke 16:19-31)

Ludwig Beethoven along with many others felt that Napoleon Bonaparte would bring the values of democracy to all of Europe.  Beethoven wrote his third symphony in honor of the French general, entitling it “Bonaparte.”  But when Napoleon crowned himself emperor, Beethoven tore up the title page and renamed the work “The Eroica” after the ideals which Napoleon abandoned.  Jeremiah in today’s first reading feels a similar disillusionment.

The prophet, who experienced much hope and disappointment with Judah’s leaders, writes that placing one’s hope in human beings is fruitless.  Indeed, he likens such hope to a shrub in a desert that cannot produce fruit.  Jeremiah finds salvation in following the ways of God, which are truthful and, in the end, productive of human flourishing. 

Jesus’ parable of the “Rich Man and Lazarus” provides testimony to Jeremiah’s conclusion.  The rich man ignores God’s Law which extols almsgiving.  He also violates the wisdom of the prophets who railed against neglect of the poor.  In our prosperity we better take heed of the rich man’s fate and help protect the vulnerable.

Wednesday, March 4, 2026

Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent

(Jeremiah 18:18-20; Matthew 20:17-28)

As we approach the middle of Lent, we may find our initial Lenten resolutions losing traction.  It is a parallel process to the capitulations found in today’s readings.  In the first, the people are unwilling to accept Jeremiah’s teaching that allegiance is to God alone.  They want to dally with other gods as a way of hedging their bets on divine assistance.  In the gospel no one seems to grasp what Jesus is saying about self-sacrifice for the good of others.  James and John allow their mother to promote their advancement.  Meanwhile, the other disciples resent the brothers for reducing their chances for places of honor. 

During Lent the Lord seeks our conversion from the ways of the world to the virtues of the Kingdom.  Where the world says “look out for number one,” Jesus tells us to “lose our lives for his sake and for the gospel.”  We have to renew our efforts continually so that we will always serve others joyfully.

The saints model Jesus’ self-abnegation for good of others.  Stanley Rother was an American priest defending the rights of the indigenous in Guatemala during the 1970’s and early 1980’s.  He was threatened with death if he did not leave his parish.  In fact, he tried going away but made the realization that, as he said, “A shepherd cannot run from his flock.”  He returned to Guatemala where, shortly afterwards, gunmen entered his rectory and killed him.  As a martyr, he did not need a miracle to be declared “Blessed Stanley.”