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Going out of their way

"Anyone who drinks the water that I shall give, will never be thirsty again”: Jesus offers living water, the gift of the Holy Spirit.

How does it feel like to meet someone who knows everything you’ve ever done? Vulnerable for one thing, uneasy and slightly awkward for another. Who could stand up to such scrutiny? But the treasure of having, as a friend, someone who truly knows you and is still your friend!

It was such a friend that the crowd-avoiding Samaritan woman met at the hottest part of the day. It was like most of the deepest changes in life – a so-called ‘chance’ encounter. His thirst for her life changed a Samaritan woman with a chequered past into a follower. Most of us came to meet Christ in less dramatic ways than she did. Yet there was a path, however obscure or winding that led us to some well, where we realised that our thirst was deeper than anything earthly could ever satisfy.

Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the wellJesus and the Samaritan woman at the Well

‘Hunger is a good sauce’ is a saying that describes how desperate need can make us satisfied with what we have, inadequate though it may be. Jesus wants a full life, not a mere existence for his followers. ‘If you only knew what God is offering…’ (Gospel – John 4:10).

Two people went out of their way in the Gospel. The woman to a remote well, and God, who will always go out of His way to encounter us and offer us a life of renewal.

Thought for the Day

Lent is indeed how God draws us home as individuals, but it is also a very communal journey. We never journey alone; no matter how lonely we may feel. We are always journeying together. If we can experience our journey in communion with others, it makes it so much clearer that we are on a journey together. When we can share our experiences with a close friend or our worship community, we can enjoy support that allows grace to flourish.

Let us pray for one another on this journey, especially for those who need and desire a change of heart on this pilgrimage to Easter joy. Choosing and acting Lent are so important because we are body-persons. We experience things with our senses, relish them with our imaginations and we share in God’s own creative and loving activity when our hearts and hands work together for and with others.

(Andy Alexander SJ & Maureen McCann Waldron, Praying Lent.)

Lent: Giving Something UpTransfiguration

Giving Something Up

For most older Catholics, the first thought that Lent brings to mind is giving something up. In my childhood, the standard was to give up sweets, a discipline that found suitable reward in the huge amount of eggs I received at Easter. Some of my friends even added to the Easter surplus by saving sweets all through Lent, stockpiling what they would have eaten had they not promised to give them up.

A few years ago I urged students to move beyond giving up sweets to giving up some habit of sin that marked their lives. About halfway through Lent I asked the students how they were doing with their Lenten promise.

Lent: Giving Something UpLent: Giving Something Up

One of the girls had promised to give up fighting with her brothers and sisters during Lent. When I asked her how it was going, the girl replied, "I'm doing pretty good, but I can't wait until Easter!"

That response indicates that this girl had only partly understood the purpose of Lenten "giving up." Lent is about conversion, turning our lives more completely over to Christ and his way of life. That always involves giving up sin in some form. The goal is not just to abstain from sin for the duration of Lent but to root sin out of our lives forever. Conversion means leaving behind an old way of living and acting in order to embrace new life in Christ.