THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT YEAR A

“ Theme of the Sunday”

We have all experienced thirst; we all know what happens to our fields when it doesn’t rain.
The first reading and the Gospel speak to us of water. The people of Israel from the desert survived because God provided water for them.
Jesus in the gospel speaks of a new water, new life that he is about to give us
The second reading opens our hearts to confidence, trust and joy because it assures us that no man will be deprived of this water.

First Reading (Ex 17:3-7) II- Second Reading (Rom 5:1-2, 5-8) Gospel John 4:5—42

The word well should be ringing some bells in your in your mind. The well was a place shepherds could provide water for their animals, women could come and fetch water (of course, also share the news and gossip); the well was a place where lovers came to look for their mates. (Gen 24:10-25; 26:15-25; 29:1-14; Ex 2:15-21).
In the gospel of today we see Jesus and the woman from Samaria. Those who have visited holy land will tell you that this well exists to date along the road from Judea to Galilee, it’s very deep (32 metres) and it still gives abundant fresh water just as it did in the time of Jesus. This well was a landmark for travelers who stopped here to drink before continuing their journey.

Jesus tired from by the journey, sits down by the well to wait for his disciples who have gone ahead to the nearby town of Sychar to buy some food. Its midday and when a woman arrives to draw water Jesus asks for a drink. The surprise of the woman is great. From his way of speaking she is immediately aware that the man speaking is from Galilee; how does he dare to ask her, a Samaritan, for a drink? And how is it that he breaks the very severe custom that forbids a man to speak alone to an unknown woman? Rabbis used to teach that if you are to talk to a woman you had to stick to specific number of words to a minimum.

A story is told about Rabbi called Joseph who was going to Betel. At the crossroad he asked a woman: “which is the way to Betel?”The woman recognized him and said: “You are not wise, Rabbi Joseph! You are not wise; you have used too many words. It was enough to say, Betel?!”This being the tradition one can understand the surprise of the disciples when, on their return, they find Jesus quietly talking to a Samaritan woman.

This free and independent behaviour of our Master should make us reflect. He is not bound by restrictive customs that discriminate and are based on suspicion. What he wants from his disciples is purity of heart and mind, and he is severe about this: “If a man looks at a woman lustfully, he has already committed adultery with her in his heart (Mt 5:28); he doesn’t care about external appearances.”
The evangelist tells us that this woman represents a symbol of something else…The well in the Bible often represented as the meeting place of two betrothed who will later get married. In the Old Testament Israel was represented as a spouse married to Yahweh. But how did the spouse behave? Do you remember? She was an unfaithful wife. She often betrayed her husband and went with other lovers. She prostituted herself to the Egyptians, then the Assyrian, the Babylonians, the Persians, the foreigners from Greece and finally the Romans and every time she worshipped their idols, thus stirring up the jealousy of her first love.

The water of the well is a symbol of all those satisfactions and pleasures people seek earnestly, hoping to find in them their happiness, but in the end they just left empty and disappointed. Isn’t this what happens after sinning? Drunkardness, a corrupt life, adultery, theft never really satisfy the heart. This could give temporary pleasure, but never happiness. One keeps repeating them just because one never finds the joy one is looking for. Pleasure and happiness are in fact two things quite different and one exists without the other.

The living water promised by Jesus is another type. It is the spirit of God; it’s that love which fills up the hearts. Whoever allows himself/ herself to be guided by the spirit will discover true happiness and will not need anything else. In the beginning the woman was interested only in material water. She is satisfied with very “low” pleasures. Little by little she comes to understand what Jesus wants.
What does the woman do once she discovers who Jesus is? She leaves behind her water pot and runs to announce to the others her discovery and happiness. We are all called to be missionaries in our families, to proclaim to all the others what God done for us.