Good News Reflection FOR NEXT SUNDAY: March 27, 2011 Third Sunday of Lent

Good News Reflection FOR NEXT SUNDAY: March 27, 2011 Third Sunday of Lent Parish bulletins, faith-sharing groups, RCIA: For professionally published, printable copies of this reflection, please go to Catholic Digital Resources: http://catholicdr.com/calendar/Lent/Lent3.htm - Preview a sample This reflection is also available as an audio podcast: http://gnm.org/DailyReflections/podcasts and as part of a downloadable ebook of the entire Season of Lent: http://catholicdr.com/ebooks/Lent.htm This Sunday's Readings: Exodus 17:3-7 Ps 95:1-2, 6-9 Romans 5:1-2, 5-8 John 4:5-42 http://www.usccb.org/nab/032711.shtml USCCB Podcast of the Readings: http://ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/11_03_27.mp3 What are you thirsty for? Thirst is what happens when we lack something vital. Water is essential for our physical survival, and our bodies signal us when it’s time to drink fluids to stay healthy. Likewise, water is necessary for our spiritual survival, albeit a different sort of water – the LIVING water, the baptismal water that purifies us for eternal life, the holy water that enables us to have abundant life in Christ now. The Holy Spirit is the Giver of Life. One of the biblical symbols that represents the presence of God's Spirit is life-giving water. Therefore, we can surmise that Jesus wanted to give the gift of the Holy Spirit to the Samaritan woman. Why? It would still be a while before the Holy Spirit descended on everyone at Pentecost. She needed the truth; the Holy Spirit is Truth, and Jesus wanted to give her whatever she needed to repent and receive salvation and then share this new life with the people around her. We only get thirsty when we haven’t had enough to drink. Spiritual thirst shows itself in many forms: loneliness, despair, frustration, self-indulgence, or any other feeling or behavior that’s triggered by lacking something that we need or want. And why would we lack anything spiritually? Because, like the woman at the well, we are sinners who need to receive healing from God. How does God give us this healing? He pours his love into us with all sufficiency, but to drink of it, we have to listen openly, like that woman, ready to be changed by the truth. Questions for Personal Reflection: What sin or unhealthy habit do you need to overcome so that Jesus is free to quench your thirsts? What will you do this week to hand it over to him? Questions for Community Faith Sharing: In the first reading, why did a physical thirst turn into a sin? How does this still happen today? In Romans, grace and hope are mentioned as gifts we receive when we have been “justified by faith” (when we’ve repented of our sins and sought forgiveness through Jesus). How do grace and hope quench our thirsts? How do they help us resist sin? How is this a result of God’s love being poured into our hearts? The woman at the well eagerly received what Jesus said. Even though he confronted her about her sins, she drank it all in and then, without shame, excitedly told others about her encounter with the Messiah. What need was filled by the truth? What does this teach about how we can help others hear the truth? © 2011 by Terry A. Modica This work is NOT in Public Domain and may NOT be copied without permission. You may print one copy for your own personal use. For PERMISSION and info on how to copy this reflection for sharing, see: http://gogoodnews.net/DailyReflections/copyrights-DR.htm Seeking a past reflection? Click this button to register for the searchable Archive Library of the Good News Reflections. One week access is free to subscribers of these emailed reflections.

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