3^rd Sunday of Lent, Year A: Homily by Fr Isaac Chima

Theme: Jesus, the True Satisfier of the Human Heart

Readings: Ex 17:3–7; Rom 5:1–2, 5–8; Jn 4:5–42

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this Third Sunday of Lent, the Church invites us to welcome into our hearts the One who alone can give the deep satisfaction we constantly yearn for. That One is Christ. The human heart is always searching; it longs every day for something beyond itself. The means we choose to satisfy this longing reveal who we are and who we are becoming.

It is in response to this inner yearning that people set goals and pursue countless projects. In fact, all human plans and activities are ultimately attempts to fill the emptiness within—a lack that pushes us to become something other than what we currently are. To satisfy this longing, some turn to alcohol, others to wealth and material possessions, others to political power, academic achievements, physical beauty, or intense gym routines. People engage in endless pursuits hoping to find fulfilment. Yet the common experience is that once one goal is achieved, another desire immediately arises. The search becomes unending until we enter the grave.

The first reading gives us a vivid example of this insatiability of the human heart. While in Egypt, the Israelites longed for freedom, and God granted it. He worked extraordinary miracles before their eyes: the ten plagues, the pillar of cloud and fire, the parting of the Red Sea, the purification of bitter water, the manna and quails. Yet, despite all these wonders, they were still not satisfied. Their hearts demanded more. In today’s first reading they murmured against Moses and against God because of the lack of water.

This is the story of the human heart. If we look closely at the Israelites’ complaints, we could see ourselves. When things go well, we praise God as the Almighty. But when difficulties arise, we quickly forget His past goodness. Many of us accuse or reject God for the smallest inconvenience.

The Gospel presents another example of a heart searching for satisfaction. The Samaritan woman tried to find happiness through relationships. She had married five men and was living with a sixth, yet her heart remained empty. True fulfilment eluded her until she met Jesus at the well.

In that encounter, Jesus revealed to her the futility of the paths she had taken. He taught her that true happiness does not come from human achievements or earthly pleasures. It comes from God. It comes from possessing Christ. Christ is the source and fountain of true joy.

As an Igbo song beautifully says, “Imebe enyi imetabeghi Jesus, imara na ibodobeghi mebe enyi”—If you have not made Jesus your friend, you have not truly begun to make friends.

Jesus told her, “Everyone who drinks this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst. The water I shall give will become a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

There is a thirst in every human heart that only Christ can quench. St. Augustine expressed it well: “Our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” Material things and human relationships cannot give the deep peace our hearts desire. We have heard of wealthy people who, despite having everything, fall into depression or even take their own lives. This is because material things cannot satisfy the soul.

If Christ is absent from the heart, satisfaction will always remain out of reach. Even in abundance, we may still feel empty, restless, or depressed.

I do not know the paths you have taken—or are still taking—in your search for joy and fulfilment. But I know that Christ is the fountain of true and lasting joy. Any heart that welcomes Him receives peace and tranquility. He directs that heart toward what truly matters.

When the Samaritan woman opened her heart to Christ, her life was transformed. She found joy so profound that she could not keep it to herself. She ran to her village to announce Christ to others.

Christ does not enter our hearts to condemn us. He comes to heal, to free us from the bitterness of the past, and to open a new and brighter future. The Second Reading assures us that if Christ died for us while we were still sinners, then we can trust Him to accomplish even greater things in our lives.

Lent is a precious time to open our hearts to Christ, just as the Samaritan woman did. Let us not miss this year’s opportunity to welcome the One who alone can satisfy the deepest longings of our hearts.

Peace be with you.

Fr. Isaac Chinemerem Chima

 3^RD SUNDAY OF LENT, YEAR A: REFLECTION BY FR. JULIAN EKEH

THEME: THE DIVINE THIRST AND HUMAN'S RESPONSE

(John 4:5-42)

Today is the third Sunday of Lent. Jesus announces at Jacob's well what He will repeat on the cross. Let us not forget that one of the seven statements made by Christ on the cross was: "I thirst." Let us go through the gospel to see the stages of Christ's experience in His encounter with the Samaritan woman and by extension each and every one of us. Let us try to understand what it really implies when we hear Jesus say He needs a drink from us as He says to you and I: "I thirst."

 

DIVINE WEARINESS?

After journeying with his disciples, Jesus was wearied, and He sat down beside the well. He was not only thirsty, but together with His apostles, they were also hungry. Little wonder the apostles were away. They had gone to look for bread, and Jesus sat alone, and this woman came. Jesus was wearied of a lot of things. He was wearied about the Pharisees and their dangerous traps for him together with their unbelief. He was weighed down by the many efforts already made to gather His people, and they remained in their hardheadedness. He was worn out with their attitude of not recognising His goodness, love, and compassion.

 

Are you a problem unto Jesus? Are you a headache for God? Do you break the heart of Christ with your sin? Have you not yet recognized Jesus and the grace he lavishes during this season? Have you forced Jesus out of your own life to a lonely place?

 

JESUS MAKES A SPECIAL DEMAND ON YOU

In the loneliness of the place Jesus was, He wants your attention. Just as a man woos a woman he loves, Jesus enters into conversation with us for us to open up to Him. He leads us to self-discovery and self-awareness. He wants a quench from us as individuals. Even when all have abandoned Jesus, even when all turn His request for joy, shall we also do the same? Jesus comes to us in the silence, He comes to us in our aloness, He visits us as individuals, He requests for our time, for holiness, for our confession, for our sincerity, for our desire to be good. Traditionally, Jesus should not make any demand from this woman because historically speaking, the Samaritans had nothing to do with "people of Jesus." But He demanded a drink of water from her. What are the things you will never expect Jesus to inquire about in your life? Jesus is interested in them. Not to condemn you but to redeem you. He wants your life to be a quench to His thirst. He wants your life to be a consolation for His heart so terribly wounded by sins of the world. He wants to do something new in your life. He comes to calm your troubled heart, which tells you that you're unforgivable. He wants to listen to your story and change it for good. The woman felt satisfied at the water she drew from Jesus and ran to water her entire community with the water she drew from the fountain of life. She saw reasons to worship God in spirit and in truth after opening her life to Christ.

 

WORSHIP IN THE SPIRIT

Part of the thirst, hunger, and wish of Christ is that worshipers worship in spirit and truth. This is another water that will quench the thirst of Christ. This season of Lent, can we give God spirit filled preparation for Easter? Can we draw nearer to God than before? Can we tell ourselves the truth about our spiritual relationship with God and make the necessary amends? Can we stop deceiving ourselves with lips service type of worship? Can we take the stations of the cross seriously? Can we do our easter duty with devotion? Can we become true worshipers of God and become true Christians who follow Jesus at all times? This is the hour for true worship of God. Let's not be distracted by waywardness, by unholy relationships, by jumping from one man or woman to the other, one Church to the other, one man of God to the other, etc.

 

INVITE OTHERS

Jesus doesn't want this water of life to be emptied in you alone. He may start with you. But His satisfaction is when others are introduced to this same water. He thirsts for more souls. The Samaritan woman moved with joy into the city and called people to come and see the man who told her everything about her life. Will you accept what Jesus tells you about your own life? How do you handle all the invitations you have received to come and experience Divine touch? Many Samaritans came to believe in Jesus through the evangelism of the sinful woman who made her life taste good for Christ. How many persons have you been able to draw to Christ? How many virtues will you be able to acquire this year's Lenten observance. All these will go a long way to quench the thirst of Christ for souls.

May God bless His word in our hearts.

 

LET US PRAY

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for speaking to our hearts today. May we make our souls pure, holy, and available for God. May we drop our jars, our bodies, and our water vessels for You to fill us to the brim with divine grace to journey along with You through Christ our Lord. Amen

Happy Sunday to you (Third Sunday of Lent)

Rev Fr Julian O Ekeh