27/03/2011 - 3RD. SUNDAY IN LENTEN SEASON - Year A
1Reading Ex 17,3-7 Psalm 94 2Reading Rom 5,1-2.5-8 Gospel Jn 4,5-42
The thirst of man: this seems to be the theme of today's readings. The people,
guided by Moses, is thirsty. Who can give water to man who is thirsty? There
is no hope to find water in a desert, and hence thirst is equal to imminent
death. Not even Moses knows what to do, and complains with God. For God man's
problems are a good occasion to manifest himself, to make known himself, to
help man believe and trust in him and hence receive life.
The thirst for water is a symbol of all the unsatisfied desires of the heart
that make one feel anxiety and generate tormentation, and often lead out from
God's way towards illusionary ways that express the ego of man. Every thirst
is only quench by the Lord. He is the one to know the needs of the human soul,
and only he knows the ways and the moments in which to satisfy it.
The Gospel speaks of the need to drink. Jesus is thirsty when at midday sits
by the well of Jacob. His thirst is only an occassion for the woman from Samaria
to realise that she is thirsty more than she realises, that she holds in herself
an unsatisfied thirst that only he can quench. She would not want to tire herself
by going to the well every day to fetch water, she does not have a faithful
and ordered affective life, she is not clear about prayer and inner life and
salvation at the end. Usually women go to fetch water in the morning or in the
evening, when is sun is not beating that much; she goes at midday, and this
shows that her life was not in order, the laziness and not wanting to meet with
others perhaps. Instead she meets with Jesus. Surprisingly he behaves in a new
way. A Jew would have never drink from an unclean container of a samaritan woman,
instead he asks for it. A Jew would have spoken with a woman from Samaria, not
to loose time and not to throw pearls at dogs: instead, Jesus wants to dialoge
with her and wants to teach her the ways of God. Jesus loves, and loves all.
His love quenches, his love fills with life and joy. His love is light that
allows one to see the Father and the others as his children.
The woman who was touched by the spiritual love of Jesus became a new being:
she is not the same. The same woman who before use to avoid the others now run
to call the others. Till then she had things to hide, now she manifest her joy
in its fullness. Meeting with Jesus changed her life. And now she is an example
and a model for the disciples.They had left the Master to go and look for food,
and no one amongst them thought to invite the samaritans to know Jesus. These
came running for the words the woman told them, to whom up to now they were
not able to trust, on the contrary, they have only critizised and judged.
At this point I do need to check my ways: my concern about the material things,
sometimes I don't have the courage to invite others to know my Lord invited:
rather there were others like desperate people, messy people, people who seem
to be on the edge of the Church who invited them: they were firm to present
the Jesus crucified, whom I was afraid would have not been acceptable to my
interlocutors. It is still true this page of the Gospel. Jesus still sits on
the edge of the wells where men of this world pass by. He is ready to welcome
individuals and crowds that flock, attracted not by the disciples, but by the
witness of sinners who have changed their lives, telling their meeting with
him. Jesus, who after all, do not dismiss his disciples. On the contrary. To
them he indicates the abundant harvest that was before them. They need to prepare
for their task, that of bring those who come to Jesus, thirsty for him!
The disciples themselves must always keep before them that they themselves were
pardoned by God. They cannot boast of themselves, but only of him. This is what
St. Paul wanted to tell us. We are sinners, and therefore we are not better
than anyone. We have a task to bring all to Jesus, but first we need to remain
near him, to be filled and transformed by his Spirit, to be given to drink to
in his presence. The first thirst to quench is not that of others, but ours!