"Trust him especially when you are in difficulty and realize that those disturbances which we term difficulties are nothing but children's toys for our dear Jesus." St. Frances X Cabrini

How blessed are we to see things through the eyes of a child! For a child has full confidence in its parents to handle any and all difficulties. Would that we would have that same confidence in our Lord! Where there is no way, he makes a way. We have only to trust in his providential care. Recall when the three young men were thrown into a hot pit for not adoring a false god. They trusted in their God to take care of them in their difficult situation. And he did. Pray for the grace to have that same confidence in God's love for us that out of whatever difficulty we face, he will bring good for us.

 "Respect each other, so you can learn to respect God. He, who is insolent to men, is insolent to God." St. John Chrysostom

This thought is in line with the words of Jesus. "What you do to the least, you do to me." Because God is the Father of all, and we are brothers and sisters of the same Father, to disrespect or degrade one of God's sons or daughters is an affront to God himself. If we thought of this before we spoke, would we say something different, more in line with the dignity and identity of the other person? But you may say, this person has done me wrong. So be it. Have we not done a greater wrong to God every time we sin? Yet, God still treats us as his son or daughter. He doesn't degrade or seek to destroy our reputation. Should we not follow his example out of gratitude for his mercy and shown the same mercy to the other?

 "Have patience to walk with short steps, not worrying about the distance you have to go, but only the step you must take at that moment." St. Francis de Sales

Yes, we must keep our eyes on the ultimate goal of our lives, eternal life with God, but if we attentive to the present moment, we could have a misstep. If we keep our eyes on each step we make, we will eventually reach our goal. But if we don't pay attention to the path in front of us, it is possible that we will not see the pitfalls of sin in front of us. How often we can become discouraged because we see how far our goal is!  But if we concentrate on where we are at the moment and take the next step, in time we will get closer to our destination. I am reminded of the times I went hiking on the trails in Colorado. The person with me would always encourage me by saying that it is just around the corner. So I continued to take the next step. Eventually, he was correct. It was just around the corner.

 "Lord, help me to live this day, quietly, easily.  To lean upon your great strength, truthfully, restfully. To wait for the unfolding of your will, patiently, serenely. To meet others, peacefully, joyously. To face tomorrow, confidently, courageously." St. Francis of Assisi

What if we strived, with God's grace, to reach this state of being? Would our many fears and anxieties be less? When our focus is God and not ourselves; when our desire is to know the will of God and to act upon it, without question; then in the midst of the disturbances around us, there will be a sense of peace and joy. This is what God desires for each of us. Don't let the distractions be our focus and consume us. Rather, in all things turn to the Lord and learn to follow his lead. Not easy, but possible.

 "We become what we love, and who we love shapes what we become. If we love things of the world, we become worldly. If we love Christ, we become like Christ. Let our fasting and prayer be a means to be more like him." St. Claire of Assisi

Is it no wonder that God commanded us to love him totally and our neighbor secondarily?  For if we become what we love, in loving God we become life God, sharing in his love and life. If we love our neighbor because of God, we reflect God's eternal love. We should not be amazed that if we love worldly things, that where our heart is, there is our focus.  Only be grace can I love God and neighbor and not let my heart be limited to things that don't matter in eternity. Lent is a time to return to the Lord, to re-prioritize our heart's focus, to realign our path back to the Lord. Let love be the connecting bridge between us and God.

 "Therefore, every Christian should be a living book in which the teaching of the Gospel can be read." St. Joseph of Leonessa

Someone else has said that we may be the initial Gospel a person may read that will bring them to Jesus. And the opposite is also true. We may be the false Gospel that will distance another from Jesus. Christ has blessed us by redeeming us and sharing his very life with us, because of his great love. We are to be a light leading others to Jesus by our lives and words. Do we reflect Jesus' teachings in our lives, especially the teaching of love, truth and goodness? Can others see Jesus in us? We don't have to rewrite the Gospel. We are called to reflect the Gospel.

 "If we make every effort to avoid death of the body, still more should it be our endeavor to avoid death of the soul. There is no obstacle for a man who wants t be saved other than negligence and laziness of soul." St. Anthony Abbot

What is more of more concern the death of the body or the death of the soul? The first is automatic and unpreventable. The second is by choice and avoidable. Paraphrasing Jesus, if we focus more on the body, we will reap the harvest of death. But if we focus on the life of our soul, then we will reap the harvest of life. The Evil One wants us to focus on the satisfaction of the body's needs. The Spirit of God gives us the grace to be concerned about the health of our soul. Whatever choice we make, on the Day of Judgment, God will confirm our choice eternally. Choose wisely.

 "Live so as not to fear death. For those who live well in the world, death is not frightening, but sweet and precious." St. Giuseppina

When one knows God in one's heart and has fallen in love with God, death is seen as a final moment in this life before seeing him face to face.  When we fear death, our heart is too rooted in this life and the things and people of this life. They are more important to us than God. When we fear death, our sins become more captivating than the merciful forgiveness of God. We need to ask God to give us the grace to desire him more than we desire our earthly life. Ask for the grace to believe in the depth of our hearts that he is the All in all that can and will fulfill me. I was made by God, for God, to be with God eternally. Death can be the fulfillment of my destiny or the blockage.

 "With my Christ I have ever been, with him am I now, and with him shall I be forevermore." St. Nestor

As I look back on my life, I have not always been with Christ. For I have sinned many times and in those moments alienated myself from Christ. But thanks be to God, he reconciled and restored me to his friendship. As far as I know, I am with him in this present moment by his grace and mercy. In hope I seek to be with him forever. Only he knows my final state. That hope can only be fulfilled in his grace and love. Like St. Paul, I press on, keeping the prize of eternal life before me.

 "Help me...to be patient with myself when I fail, to make amends when I am wrong, to rely on God's strength when I am weak, and to surrender myself completely to God's mercy." St. Conrad Confalonieri

It takes a strong but humble person to recognize one's faults and to know what to do about them. No matter how hard I may try to improve, and try I must, I acknowledge that I am dependent upon the Lord for his strength and grace. When I am weak, his strength is there for me, if I but learn how to turn to him. God knows my weaknesses and failures and is ready to strengthen us, but he waits for us to ask. For he will not violate our freedom, even when we use it wrongly. His mercy is everlasting. It is the sure covering we need to grow in holiness.

 Fifth Sunday of Lent Gospel A

So the sisters of Lazarus sent word to Jesus, saying, "Master, the one you love is ill." When Jesus heard this he said, "This illness is not to end in death,  but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.

Lazarus will in fact die. But his will not be his ultimate fate because Jesus will raise him              to new life, affording an opportunity for others to glorify God by means of the miracle.

" Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that he was ill, he remained for two days in the place where he was. Then after this he said to his disciples, "Let us go back to Judea." 

The delay of Jesus proves fatal for Lazarus at the moment. This period of waiting is not a              mistake or miscalculation, but part of Jesus’ plan to generate faith in the disciples.              Raising the dead to new life will have a more profound effect on them than raising the              sick to health.

When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 

Jews during NT times customarily wrapped the dead with a shroud, tied strip of cloth               around their extremities and anointed their bodies with fragrant oils and spices..

Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, only about two miles  away. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary sat at home. Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. (But) even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise." Martha said to him, "I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day." 

The resurrection of the dead on the last day was currently held by all in Judaism except              the Sadducees. 

Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" She said to him, "Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world."

• Martha professes her faith in Jesus. 

He became perturbed  and deeply troubled, and said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Sir, come and see." And Jesus wept. 

• The humanity of Jesus is very clear in this event, even knowing what he was about to do.

So the Jews said, "See how he loved him." But some of them said, "Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man have done something so that this man would not have died?"  So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay across it.  Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the dead man's sister, said to him, "Lord, by now there will be a stench; he has been dead for four days." Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?" 

• Though Martha professed faith earlier, now when Jesus called her to exercise that faith, she faltered. The reality of death was too real.

So they took away the stone. And Jesus raised his eyes and said, "Father,  I thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me; but because of the crowd here I have said this, that they may believe that you sent me." And when he had said this, he cried out in a loud voice,  "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, tied hand and foot with burial bands, and his face was wrapped in a cloth. So Jesus said to them, "Untie him and let him go." 

• Jesus’ love for Lazarus was real and visible. Do we recognize that same love for us? How have I experienced in the past this unconditional love?

Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what he had done began to believe in him

• When and where has my faith in Jesus as “the Resurrection of the Life” been tested in the past? 

• When I face the death of a loved one, does my faith in the above promises of Jesus sustain and comfort me?

 "We must trust in the mighty power of God's mercy. We are all sinners, but His grace transforms us and make us new." Pope Benedict XVI

Lent is a special season of God's mercy. For the greatest sign of his mercy is the death and resurrection of Jesus, bringing us the grace of salvation and eternal life. We can experience his mercy in many ways. But in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, that grace is made available to us, who are sinners. To stay away from a source of mercy is to stay away from the banquet table. We need to eat and drink to survive. We need our sins forgiven. God has shown us his plan. Why do we prefer our way rather than his? Is it because of pride? It is humbling to be obedient to God, but it was pride and disobedience that led us to sin. Choose: our way or God's way.

 "The Lord measures out perfection neither by the multitude nor the magnitude of our deeds, but by the manner in which we perform them." St. John of the Cross

Jesus did the Father's will out of love. So every act he performed for the glory of God was done because of his love of the Father. God is not impressed by our deeds. What speaks to God is the love in which we do the things we do. That was the lesson that the Saints learned in their lives. That was the little way of St. Therese of Liseux.  Whether she was washing the dishes, scrubbing the floors or enduring great physical pain, she offered up all in love. This is the way of holiness. I am reminded of a saying: "Do what you are supposed to do, when you do it, how you do it, the way you do it, where you do it. do it out of love." Then your actions will bear fruit that lasts

 "No act of virtue can be great if it is not followed by advantage for others. So, no matter how much time you spend fasting, no matter how much you sleep on a hard floor and eat ashes and sigh continually, if you do no good to others, you do nothing great." St. John Chrysostom

Is it a wonder why Jesus connected love of neighbor with love of God? Our love of God is never isolated from our love of neighbor. God is not impressed with our virtues or our acts of denials, if in turn they do not lead us to care for the others around us who are in need. How often in the Old Testament God said through the prophets that the people's sacrifices meant nothing if they did not care for the orphans, widows and those who were hungry? It is both and. When we do penances, we also must do almsgiving, if we want our sacrifices to be pleasing to the Lord and to bear fruit.

 "The journey of Lent is an exodus, an exodus from slavery to freedom." Pope Francis

When the Israelites left their bondage in Egypt, they began the important journey, not only to physical freedom from slavery but spiritual freedom from the hardness of their hearts, sin. We are called into that same freedom from the bondage of sin to the grace of freedom in Christ. Even after forty years in the desert of purification, they were not yet perfect in their relationship with God. Even after our forty days in the Lenten journey, we will not yet be fully alive in Christ. But the sins we are to die to through our prayer, fasting and almsgiving, hopefully will not have the same impact on our lives after Easter. There will always be sins to be confronted in our lives. But hopefully we will be making progress from one Lent to the next, as we seek to enter into a deeper relationship with God.

 "There is an invitation that comes from the heart of God, who with arms wide open and eyes full of longing implores us: 'Return to me with all your heart.'" Pope Francis

In the Old Testament, many of the Chosen People were half-hearted in their relationship with God. They would say their daily prayers and go to the Temple at the designated times, but their life and deeds were contrary to their relationship with God. God wasn't interested in just an external life, but also an internal life of living in relationship with him. Things may not be much different today. Some people feel a minimal relationship with God is sufficient.  Their hearts are far from God. "Where your heart is there is your treasure." If one's heart is more in a secular culture in which God is kept at arms' length, then we are not willing to totally surrender ourselves to God. If one's heart is rooted in the Lord, then the ways of the world are not our focus. but God is. Choose whom you will serve: self, the world, or God.

 Fourth Sunday of Lent Gospel A

As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him. We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 

· The disciples reflect the general thinking about the connection between sickness/affliction and sin. Being born blind was considered by some to be a punishment for some sin, either personal or generational.

· Jesus says that nature has taken its course and God will use this for his glory.

When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and smeared the clay on his eyes, and said to him, “Go wash in the Pool of Siloam” —which means Sent—.So he went and washed, and came back able to see. 

· Could this be an insight into the sacrament of Baptism and what it does?

His neighbors and those who had seen him earlier as a beggar said, “Isn’t this the one who used to sit and beg?” Some said, “It is, “ but others said, “No, he just looks like him.” He said, “I am.” So they said to him, “How were your eyes opened?” He replied, “The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and told me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went there and washed and was able to see.” And they said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I don’t know.” 

· He readily witnesses the truth of what Jesus did for him. Have we been ministered to by Jesus recently? Did we share the truth with others?

They brought the one who was once blind to the Pharisees. Now Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on a sabbath. 

· The issue is not so much that Jesus healed this man but that it was the Sabbath on which he did this.

 The Pharisees claim this is forbidden by the Law and that Jesus was breaking the Law. So then the Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see. He said to them, “He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see.” So some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, because he does not keep the sabbath.” But others said, “How can a sinful man do such signs?” And there was a division among them. 

· Blindness to the truth can prevent people from seeing the hand of God. The Pharisees were not looking for the truth, only to defend their position, no matter the cost. Have we ever found ourselves in a similar position?

So they said to the blind man again, “What do you have to say about him, since he opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.” 

· As the man comes to a clearer understanding of who Jesus is, the Pharisees become more hardened against him.

Now the Jews did not believe that he had been blind and gained his sight until they summoned the parents of the one who had gained his sight. They asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How does he now see?” His parents answered and said, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. We do not know how he sees now, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him, he is of age; he can speak for himself.” His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone acknowledged him as the Christ, he would be expelled from the synagogue. For this reason his parents said, “He is of age; question him.”

· Out of fear the parents did not want to get involved. Have we at times acted out of fear rather than stand up for what we know is true?

 So a second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give God the praise! We know that this man is a sinner.” He replied, “If he is a sinner, I do not know. One thing I do know is that I was blind and now I see.” So they said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” He answered them, “I told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?” They ridiculed him and said, “You are that man’s disciple; we are disciples of Moses! We know that God spoke to Moses, but we do not know where this one is from.” The man answered and said to them, “This is what is so amazing, that you do not know where he is from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners,. but if one is devout and does his will, he listens to him. It is unheard of that anyone ever opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he would not be able to do anything.” They answered and said to him, “You were born totally in sin, and are you trying to teach us?” Then they threw him out. 

· The Pharisees try to discredit Jesus by implying that he is a sinner. At another time they called him a devil. Rather than acknowledge Jesus is doing the work of God, they prefer to accuse him of being evil. To acknowledge him would then put them at a crisis. The man hit the nail on the head: they have refused to be his disciples that is why they are trying to destroy him

· The man sees the truth about Jesus and about the Pharisees.

When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, he found him and said, (Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered and said, “Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?”Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, the one speaking with you is he.” He said, “I do believe, Lord,” and he worshiped him. 

· The man comes to the final stage of his journey: faith and acceptance of Jesus as One who came from God; one who is the Messiah. This was what the Pharisees refused to accept.

Then Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see might see, and those who do see might become blind.” Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not also blind, are we?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you are saying, ‘We see,’ so your sin remains.

· Can you feel Jesus saying if the shoe fits, wear it.

· Jesus contrasts the journey of the man from physical blindness to physical sight, from spiritual blindness to spiritual insight. On the other hand those who should have spiritual insight further rush into spiritual blindness.

· Whereas they accuse the man of being born because of his sin, Jesus says the real sin is theirs because they refuse to believe in the truth of who he is and what he has been preaching.

· What do you take from this story and apply to your life?

 "Lord, make this Lenten season different from the other ones. Let me find you again." Henri Nouwen

Where will find the Lord? We will find him in the silence of prayer. "Be still and know that I am the Lord." In the prayer of adoration and gratitude, we will enter into the presence of the Lord. We will find the Lord in his Word. God has revealed his Word so that we can know his mercy and love and his plan for us. We will find the Lord n seeking to know and to do his will, which is ultimately our union with him. We will find the Lord in our neighbor. "What you do to the least, you do to me." These are just a few ways we will find the Lord. He is not hidden. We have to look in the places. In them, we will realize that the Lord has first found us.

 "Our sins are nothing but a grain of sand along the great mountain of the mercy of God." St. John Vianney

As horrible our sins are against the infinite love of God, they are mere specks in the face of God's infinite mercy. It is his mercy that buries our repentant sins in the depths of the ocean, never to surface again. Like his love, his mercy is beyond limit. Why do we hesitate to receive his mercy? For the same reason we block his love: pride of the heart. How foolish it is to let pride prevent us from loving God and from receiving his mercy! Yet, that is what we do every time we turn away from him and remain in our cell of death. We allow the blindness of our sins to prevent us from seeing that through the death of resurrection of Jesus, the door of our self-imposed cell is wide open for us. The hand of mercy reaches out to us to free us. It is our choice to trust or to remain in sin.

 "God acts mercifully, not indeed by going against His justice, but by doing something more than justice." St. Thomas Aquinas

If God would treat us according to his justice, none of us would see his face. We are sinners and in justice deserve alienation from God. But thanks be to God for his infinite mercy. While we deserve justice, mercy is a pure gift of God's love. His mercy is endless and poured forth  upon us every time we sin and repent. Out of mercy, God holds back his justice. But we can never presume on his mercy. That would be presumption. Instead, we must learn how to accept his mercy in gratitude and to respond to this gift by remaining one with him. So that, when we die in him, we may be able to live with him eternally. Lord, spare us from your justice. Shield us with your mercy and love.

Homily Third Sunday of Lent Year A

Reading 1: On the First Sunday of Lent we read that God put Adam and Eve to the test to see if they would accept the fact they were creatures called to put their trust in and obey the will of God. If so, they would live eternally with him. They failed the test but succumbed to the temptation of the Devil, believing in his lies. On the Second Sunday of Lent we heard that Abraham believed in God, trusting in his promises and followed.

Today, we heard of the test God put the Israelites through after showing them his wondrous power, by delivering them from the bondage in Egypt. Instead of trusting in the providential care of God, they grumbled and complained. They couldn’t believe God could provide them food and water in the desert. They said: “Is the Lord in our midst or not?” God in his mercy provided them the water they craved. How do we test the Lord, rather than obey his will? The Israelites continued to test the Lord throughout their desert sojourn.

Gospel: The word of God taps into the theme of water. This was not a chance encounter between Jesus and the woman. It was a divine appointment. Jesus sees that within this Samaritan woman was a thirst for the truth, for the more. She longs for the Savior to deliver her from her bondage of drudgery and emptiness. 

Jesus plants the seed by offering her life-giving water. But before she is ready to receive this gift, she needs to recognize her sate of sin and verbalize her longing. Jesus reveals to her that he is the one she is longing for. The grace of conversion had its effect. Recognizing the mercy and forgiveness of God in the words of Jesus, she went to share with the very people who shunned her for her life style the good news of freedom.

Many came to Jesus at first one the word of the woman, but then came to believe because of their personal encounter with Jesus.

Jesus desires to encounter us through his life-giving word, so that we can be set free from whatever holds us in bondage and receive the life-giving water, the gift of the Holy Spirit. He gives us further his Body and Blood, so that we can share with him the new life now and forever.

Reading 2: Paul reminds us that Jesus died for us, when we were sinners. Through his death and resurrection, which we personally experienced in the waters of Baptism. This was our initial encounter. We believe that we have been justified by faith. God further loved us by pouring out his Spirit upon us, so that we can grow in our relationship with God, as we share his divine life. God demonstrates his love for us, not only by creating us in his own image and likeness, but by his Son giving his life for our life, by sustaining us in his life through the gift of the Holy Spirit, whose temple we are.

 "Confession heals, confession justifies, confession grants pardon of sin...In confession there is a chance for mercy. Believe firmly. Hope and have confidence in confession." St. Isidore

In Confession we encounter the mercy of God, the effects of Jesus' death on the cross, the grace of the Holy Spirit. Sin is an offense against the love of God. It flows from the wound of pride, that refuses to be  in submission to the will of God. Some people say that they prefer to confess to God directly, without the need of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. But is this part of the sin of pride and unwillingness to do what God has told us? Jesus empowered the Church through his ordained ministers with the power to forgive in his name. When we go to the Sacrament, we are doing what Jesus said. In so doing, we are submitting to the will of God and not to our preference. It is humbling but freeing.

 "God's face is the face of a merciful father who is always patient. Have you thought about God's patience, the patience he has with each of us? That is his mercy. He always has patience, patience with us; he understands us, he waits for us, he does not tire of forgiving us, if we are able to return to him with a contrite heart." Pope Francis

His patience is a mystery. Like the father of the Prodigal son, he waits and longs for our return to him. When we do, he shows us not judgment but mercy. He is always ready to forgive our past failures. When he does, his mercy puts them away from him as into the depth of the ocean. How ungrateful we have been in the past, taking his patience and mercy for granted! Lent is a time to return to the Father, like the Prodigal son, admit our wrongs and experience his loving mercy.

 Third Sunday of Lent Year A

Jesus came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there. Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well. It was about noon. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." His disciples had gone into the town to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to him, "How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?"—For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.—

· The reason why she comes at noon is probably to avoid the other women of the town who would taunt her for her life style of having five different men.

· Jesus was thirsty physically and thirsty for her spiritual refreshment.

· Her response is typical for the time. Jews and Samaritans did not speak to one another, let alone a Jewish man and a Samaritan woman. Jews believed that the Samaritans were half breeds, having intermarried with the pagans. The Samaritans did not recognize anything other than the first five books of the Scriptures. 

Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, 'Give me a drink, 'you would have asked him  and he would have given you living water."

· Two things: the gift God wants to give you—namely new life through the Holy Spirit; the person is the Messiah who is talking to you.

The woman said to him, "Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep; where then can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself with his children and his flocks?"

· The woman is still combative and on her guard. She doesn’t trust him. 

Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

· Jesus is not defensive but gentle and persisting. He knows that there is a deeper thirst within her than just for regular water. 

The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water."

· Jesus has connected with that longing within her.  

Jesus said to her, "Go call your husband and come back." The woman answered and said to him, "I do not have a husband." Jesus answered her, "You are right in saying, 'I do not have a husband. 'For you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true."

· Jesus sees she is ready to hear the message of truth, ready to be evangelized. But first, must prepare her heart further.  With Word of Knowledge, a gift of the Holy Spirit, Jesus reveals to her something he would never have known about this woman. He does so to open her heart further.

· She has been living with five different men and the one she is with is no different.

The woman said to him, "Sir, I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain; but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem."

· The woman, without stating it, is remorseful. She is ready to turn away from her past sinfulness and be open to the new life being offered her.

· Because of the Word of Knowledge, she accepts the fact that Jesus was a prophet, speaking God’s word to her.

· She doesn’t understand why Jews and Samaritans worship differently the same God.

Jesus said to her, "Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You people worship what you do not understand;  we worship what we understand, because salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him. God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth."

· Even the worship of the Jews will be surpassed by the true worship of God that Jesus will inaugurate with his death and resurrection.  

· To worship God in Spirit and truth is to offer the true and everlasting worship to the Father which is Jesus’ gift of himself in the Spirit.

The woman said to him, "I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Christ; when he comes, he will tell us everything."

· It was almost as if she had one last question to assure herself of what she is hearing.  She is looking for salvation through the Messiah’s coming.

Jesus said to her, "I am he, the one speaking with you."

· Jesus has never publicly acknowledge to others before. He accepted Peter’s profession that he was the Messiah, yet he never said it himself.  This is all she needed to hear. She is convicted.

At that moment his disciples returned, and were amazed that he was talking with a woman, but still no one said, "What are you looking for?" or "Why are you talking with her?" The woman left her water jar and went into the town and said to the people, "Come see a man who told me everything I have done. Could he possibly be the Christ?" They went out of the town and came to him.

· Having been evangelized to the truth, the woman returns to town, without her water bucket for that is her past. She is a new person who has been set free and given a new chance. 

· She witnesses to the people of the town and invites them to see for themselves if this is not the Messiah.

Meanwhile, the disciples urged him, "Rabbi, eat." But he said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know." So the disciples said to one another, "Could someone have brought him something to eat?" Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of the one who sent me and to finish his work. Do you not say, 'In four months the harvest will be here'? I tell you, look up and see the fields ripe for the harvest. The reaper is already receiving payment and gathering crops for eternal life, so that the sower and reaper can rejoice together. For here the saying is verified that 'One sows and another reaps.' I sent you to reap what you have not worked for; others have done the work, and you are sharing the fruits of their work." 

· The will of the Father was the salvation of souls. This is the real hunger and thirst of Jesus, to bring people back to the truth of the Father’s love in obedience. This will be in time the life of the disciples as well after the resurrection.

Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me everything I have done." When the Samaritans came to him, they invited him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. Many more began to believe in him because of his word,  and they said to the woman, "We no longer believe because of your word; for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the savior of the world."

· The faith of the people in Jesus began with the witness of the woman. But, having had contact with Jesus, hearing his message, they believed on his word now, rather than the testimony of the woman.

 "Seek God in all things and we shall find God by our side." St. Peter Claver

What does "Seek God in all things" mean? God is always present to us, but if we do not seek him, we will not be aware of his presence. Sometimes the only time we seek the Lord is when we need his help. How would you feel if the person you love in a special way only is in touch with you when they need your help? Will we feel being used? But if the other seeks you out regularly just to be with you and share with you, you have a different perspective on the person. So it is with God. If we seek him regularly, if we turn to him frequently just to acknowledge who is to you, you will find your relationship with God to be different. You will find God is truly at your side no matter what.

 "You don't need to use many or high-sounding words. Just repeat often, 'Lord, show me your mercy as you know best.' Or, 'God, come to my assistance.'" St. Marcarius of Alexandria

It is not many words that God wants to hear. He wants us, for our sake, to turn our hearts to him. Just call on his name with the sincerity of our hearts, not to impress him, but to love him.  This is what St. Paul meant when he said that we should pray unceasingly. The Desert Fathers used to say short prayers like: "Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner." They would do this throughout the day to keep their minds and hearts centered in God as they went about their daily activities. When our life is so focused, our hearts will be in the presence of the Lord continually.