I Thirst

Ex  20:1-17/1Cor 1:22-25/Jn 2:13-25 (Third Sunday of Lent)

Ex 17:3-7/Rom 5:1-2, 5-8/ Jn 4:5-42 (Third Sunday of Lent/ Year A Scrutinies)

As we reach the 3^rd Sunday of Lent, for those preparing to enter into the Church at the Easter Vigil the readings are for the first of the Scrutinies and reflect the Cycle A readings of the Liturgical Year. The Scrutinies are an intense time of inward reflection as catechumens prepare to enter into the waters of baptism, dying to their old life and rising to new life in Christ, are confirmed and brought to the Table of the Eucharist. For Masses not celebrated with those enrolled in the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA), readings for Cycle B are used.

For all, we continue our Lenten walk with Christ as He travels towards Jerusalem and ultimately the Cross. This gives us time to reflect on who Christ is to us. Do we recognize Him as our Lord and Savior? Is He central to our lives and every decision we make? Do we love Him above all others? Are we using this time during Lent to abstain from behavior that draws us away from holiness or are we counting down the days until we can revert back to our old habits? Do we pray more fervently? Do we seek the face of Christ in all we meet as we delve into our own soul to find God dwelling in us?

The Cycle A Gospel from John is the familiar story of the Samaritan woman at the well. There are many layers to this story, from the cultural taboos between the Samaritans and the Jews to the public encounter between a Jewish man and a woman who was not his wife, to the reason why this woman was getting water mid-day rather than in the morning when the rest of the town’s women were drawing theirs’.

The Cycle B Gospel from John is the story of Jesus clearing the moneychangers from the Temple. I would like to focus on a line from this Gospel in contrast to part of Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman.

In the Temple, Jesus’ anger is fueled by the sinful activities taking place in the market area of the Temple, where the focus of the moneychangers and sellers is on cash and profit and not God. Angered by what He saw, Jesus clears the marketplace; all the while His disciples recall the words of Scripture, “Zeal for your House will consume me” (Psalm 69:9).

At the encounter with the woman at the well, Jesus asks her for a drink. During their conversation, after revealing to her all that He knows of her, He reveals to her that He is the source of Living Water; He is the Messiah. Surprised the Lord is talking to a woman, a Samaritan—no less—His disciples chastise Jesus. The woman, however, goes back into the town and tells of her encounter with the Messiah and the townspeople come to meet Him. Jesus stays with the Samaritans and many came to know Him, not solely because of the words of the woman whose eyes were opened, but because they too had an encounter with the Living Lord.

What can these two Gospels tell us about Jesus’ yearning? The Lord has a desire for us to be with Him. His thirst in Samaria is the same as the thirst from the Cross, when He cries out: “I thirst.” For what does the Lord thirst?

St. Thérèse of Lisieux, reflecting on a picture of the crucified Christ on a holy card, came to understand the Lord’s cry from the Cross as a call to evangelize:

I understood that I was then to pour it (love) out upon souls. The cry of Jesus on the Cross sounded continually in my heart: “I thirst!” These words ignited within ne an unknown and very living fire. I wanted to give my Beloved to drink and I felt myself consumed with a thirst for souls. As yet, it was not the souls of priests that attracted me, but those of great sinners; I burned with the desire to snatch them from the eternal flames (Story of a Soul).

John’s Gospel account notes Jesus is in Jerusalem for Passover. People were coming to believe in Him because of the signs and the wonders they saw, but the Gospel notes that “Jesus would not trust Himself to them because He knew them all, and did not need anyone to testify about human nature. He himself understood it well” (Jn 2:25). Jesus knows how fickle humanity is—the marketplace in the Temple exemplifies our inability to recognize the priority that God should take in our lives. People believe as long as they receive the benefits—but when opportunities arise for us to profit—God was easily set aside. We see evidence of that in today’s culture, where instant gratification and the attitude of “What’s in it for me?” reigns over the virtuous and holy life to which Christ calls us.

This brings me back to the cry from the Cross. Jesus thirsts for souls: your soul, my soul. All souls. He loves us enough to take our sin upon Himself in His innocence and offering it up to His Father, becomes the Sacred Sacrifice, which atones for all sin for all time. No greater love has been shown to humanity than this. We who do not deserve it, yet what is our response? Do we realize the saving power of Christ and proclaim this message of salvation to all we know as the Samaritan woman or do we prefer the safety of a lukewarm faith? Do we live lives of conviction and zeal, or do we allow ourselves to become content with a faith that fits conveniently into our goal-oriented busyness? One life attracts, the other distracts.

Let us reflect on our actions this week and ask ourselves, when we hear the cry from the Cross, how will we respond? Are will willing to offer of our lives completely to Christ in order quench His thirst for souls or do we ignore His cries?