Making a Joyful Noise through Lent –
03/23/2014
“The salvation which God has wrought,
and the Church joyfully proclaims, is for everyone. God has found a way to
unite himself to every human being in every age. He has chosen to call them
together as a people and not as isolated individuals. No one is saved by
himself or herself, individually, or by his or her own efforts. God attracts us
by taking into account the complex interweaving of personal relationships
entailed in the life of a human community. This people which God has chosen and
called is the Church. Jesus did not tell the apostles to form an exclusive and
elite group. He said: “Go and make disciples of all nations”” (Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium: The Joy of the Gospel)
These words from Pope Francis are played
out in our Gospel (John 4:5-42) for this Third Sunday of Lent. Jesus joyfully
engages the Samaritan woman at the well. He moves her from isolation into the
community. Jesus takes into account her struggles, her situation and her
relationship to the human community and invites her to be part of the Church.
She becomes a proclaimer of the word, an evangelizer.
The readings today talk about change and
the struggle we as human being have with change. The Israelites (Exodus 17:3-7)
are struggling with the changes in their life. Suddenly the slavery of Egypt
doesn’t look so bad compared to a journey through the desert. They are struggling
with life outsider their comfort zone, with life that calls them to trust in
their relationship with God
The Samaritan woman is struggling in her
life, yet she is truthful about it and open to a conversation with God about
it. She is challenged to change, to see things differently. Actually all the
characters in our Gospel story are challenged to change and see things
differently, the woman, the disciples and people of Sychar. The encounter with
Jesus will leave them all changed in the end.
Jesus asks them to see water, food, life
and God differently, especially God. God is not a person relegated to one place
or another, to one mountain, one city, one group of people. God is there for
everyone! Yes, sinners are included, thankfully as St. Paul tells us (Romans 5:
1-2, 5-8).
We are challenge to hear the word of God
today and be hopeful. Because God is amongst us, all of us and God loves us,
all of us!
Happy Sunday evening everyone and don’t
forget to make a joyful noise with your life today!
Daily Lenten Prayer: O God, living
and true, look upon your people, whose parched and hardened hearts are searching
for living water. Unseal the Spirit of your Love; let it become within us a
joyful spring, rising up to eternal life. Help us to worship you in spirit and
in truth through Christ, our deliverance and hope,
who died that we might live. Amen!
Runner’s Thoughts: Remember, as we
run, it is not as if God is waiting at the finish line, or the end of the block
or back in the driveway or at the side door. Rather, each step takes us closer
to the realization that God's presence - God's grace - is with us already, and
we need only to pay attention to that presence. In other words, let us let go
of our expectations today as we run and let God! (Adapted from Running the
Spiritual Path by Roger Joslin)
Daily Blessing: Sunday
greetings to all! Sorry for being late today but I have limited access to the
internet and this is the first chance I had to get on today. It has been a full
day, with eight masses from last night until this evening. I was not able to
attend them all but I did preach at them all sometimes running from one
location to another at the parish here has two worships sights. My voice held
out and now I have an evening to rest before the mission begins with the noon
mass tomorrow.
I will rest because not only do I have
limited access to the internet but also no TV! So I guess I will just have to
pray…I will offer night prayer for all of you this evening. May God bless you
with a restful and peaceful night so that you can rise refreshed tomorrow to
begin a new day and a new week!
The preaching over the weekend went well
and St. Patrick’s is a very spirit filled parish and I look forward the the
four days and evenings ahead. Please keep the faith community here at St.
Patrick’s in your prayers and add a prayer for their preacher!
Blessing to all tonight. May God’s grace
and peace be with you! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul
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