Homily Third Sunday of Lent

 

Homily

Third Sunday of Lent

March 8, 2026

 

What do you crave? If I were strong enough, rich enough, smart enough, to get anything I wanted and got it, I would still crave; it would never be enough. There is only one thing that can truly satisfy our greatest longings, our most ardent desires.

 

As we continue our journey through this holy season, the Church places before us images of thirst and satisfaction that speak directly to our deepest cravings. In the desert wanderings of the Israelites and the noonday encounter at Jacob's well, we can see ourselves. Today, we ponder how the water flowing from the rock struck by Moses and the living water offered by Christ remain relevant even today. Moreover, how can we, sitting here, relate to the Samaritan woman's transformative meeting with Jesus? These two stories invite us to recognize our own cravings, our deepest thirsts and turn to the One who quenches them eternally.

 

In the first reading, the Israelites are parched in the wilderness, grumbling against Moses, “Why did you ever make us leave Egypt? Was it just to have us die here of thirst with our children and our livestock?” Their physical desperation points to a deeper spiritual crisis, a forgetfulness of God's faithfulness after the parting of the Red Sea. God commands Moses to strike the rock at Horeb, and water gushes forth, sustaining the people, satisfying their physical craving. This rock, this satisfaction, prefigures Christ. The water saves them in the desert physically, but it points to a greater reality: God provides not only for our physical wellbeing but satisfies our spirit.

 

In our Gospel, Jesus, tired from His travels, sits by the well in Samaria and asks a woman for a drink. She is an outcast, both to the Jews and to her own community. She is a Samaritan, bitter enemies of the Jews, and marginalized by her own people for her lifestyle, with five past husbands and now living with another man. Her daily trek for water, at noon, the hottest part of the day, to avoid others, indicates just how isolated she is, just how unfulfilled her longings. Jesus offers her "living water" that becomes "a spring within her, welling up to eternal life." He tells her of her past, not to shame her, but to heal, her and all, declaring Himself the Messiah, the One Who calls all to worship in spirit and truth. Isn’t that what Jesus does for us? While the devil reminds us of our past and present failings to discourage us, Jesus gently loves us, knowing us just as we are, fallen and failing, yet beloved children. The Samaritan woman, now transformed, leaves her jar behind and evangelizes her town, leading many to faith. Likewise, we are transformed when we encounter Christ, and we are dismissed at the end of Mass, to leave our old selves behind, to go and be Christ in the world.

 

How do these ancient waters flow into our lives? How do we drink of the Living Water? Today, we navigate our own deserts, our own emptiness. We have many uncertainties in our world; globally and personally. We thirst for security and meaning. Like the Israelites, we complain when life feels helpless or empty; job insecurities or losses, family strains, health battles. The water from Moses' rock reminds us that God provides in tangible ways; through the support of this community, modern medical advances, unexpected opportunities (hidden blessings). But it's not enough; our souls crave more. Christ's living water addresses that deeper thirst, water that needs no jar.

 

But, sometimes we allow ourselves to be distracted. We too often seek fulfillment in a jar that hold no water. Jesus invites us to drink from Him through prayer, through the Word proclaimed, and through the Blessed Sacrament we are all about to witness and receive, where grace abounds, if we only let it, welling up to eternal life.

 

Can you relate? The Samaritan woman is remarkably personal. She represents anyone of us who has ever felt marginalized or burdened by past mistakes. Who doesn’t feel marginalized or burdened by past mistakes? In our struggles and our cravings, many of us come to the "well," hiding our pain. Perhaps we've chased fulfillment through superficial gains, only to remain empty. What are we truly attached to? Jesus meets us there in a profound and substantial way, just as He did her, crossing barriers of shame or doubt, meeting her where she is. He knows our "five husbands," our false idols. What are we truly attached to? "Give me this water," we might say, like her, initially misunderstanding. But as we talk to God and listen in prayer especially in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, He reveals truths that liberate us. “The truth will set you free!” (John 8:32b). How does she respond? She leaves her jar at the well. She became excited and becomes a witness, sharing her experience with her community, drawing them to Christ. Today, we can do the same; are we excited about our experience with Christ? Do we share our stories of encounter with Jesus in our families, at our workplace, when we are out and about, inviting a thirsty world to The Source? Can people see our story on our faces and in our actions?

 

During this Holy season of Lent, especially as we celebrate the First Scrutiny at the 10 AM Mass this morning for our elect preparing for baptism, let us examine our thirsts. The scrutinies remind us that sin and evil parch our souls, but the Living Water, poured out in Baptism, remembered with the Sign of the Cross, and renewed in Eucharist, revitalizes us. Like the rock struck once for all in Christ's passion, this water is abundant and free. Drink deeply and let it flow through you to others.