Episode 38 | Living Water

[00:00:00] Hello, my name is Sally Moriarty-Flask. Welcome to: From His Word to Our Hearts, my weekly Bible Study podcast. Together we will explore the readings to be proclaimed at the Catholic Mass on Sunday, March 23, 2025, the Third Sunday of Lent. This week's episode is entitled: Living Water and in these readings, we are invited to see the extraordinary in something everyday, commonplace, and ordinary… water! Water is something we cannot live without. Our bodies are about 60% water and we can only survive for about three days without it. We drink water, we clean our bodies and our clothing with it, we use it to cook our food, and - at times - we waste it. Water is so commonplace that we often take it for granted! But, how often do we take the time to marvel at the sheer power of water? To be surprised by its beauty? To be startled by its ability to effect change? Perhaps this Lent will teach us to see water in a new way and help us recapture its sacred significance! [00:01:20] As we journey through the readings this week, consider the following: Those preparing to be initiated into the Catholic Church will undergo the first of what are called the Scrutinies at the Masses this coming weekend. The Scrutinies are an often misunderstood, but decidedly necessary, part of the process of becoming Catholic. They are prayers that free the seekers from sin, protect them from the power of the devil, and prepare them to receive the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist. The Scrutinies also invite those of us who are already Baptized to examine our own hearts and minds, to rededicate ourselves to our Lenten disciplines, and to redouble our efforts to live as faithful disciples of Christ. [00:02:10] This week's opening prayer is a bit longer than normal because I used some of the imagery from this week's Scrutiny to craft it. So, let's begin… In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. [00:02:22] Heavenly Father, we praise you and we thank you for the gift of our yearly Lenten journey. Remind us of the promises made at our Baptism so that we, like the Samaritan woman at the well, may thirst for the living water only you provide. Help us to recognize and cast out our sinfulness so that we may seek you with pure hearts. Your Son is the Master we long for, the holy one to whom we open our hearts and confess our faults. In your unending love, free us from our infirmities so that we may live as faithful disciples in this life and dwell within your Heavenly kingdom in the next. We ask this through your Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. [00:03:13] Now that we have opened our hearts in prayer, let's listen to what God is telling us in the Scriptures. [00:03:19] Our Gospel this week is from John 4: 5-42. [00:03:25] “[Jesus] came to a city of Samar’ia called Sy’char, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and so Jesus, wearied as he was with his journey, sat down beside the well. It was about the sixth hour. There came a woman of Samar’ia to draw water. Jesus said to her, ‘Give me a drink.’ For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samar’ia?’ For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, “Give me a drink,” you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.’ The woman said to him, ‘Sir, you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep; where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, and his sons, and his cattle?’ Jesus said to her, ‘Every one who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’ The woman said to him, ‘Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Go, call your husband, and come here.’ The woman answered him, ‘I have no husband.’ Jesus said to her, ‘You are right in saying, “I have no husband”; for you have had five husbands, and he whom you now have is not your husband; this you said truly.’ The woman said to him, ‘Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain; and you say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.’ The woman said to him, ‘I know that [the] Messiah is coming (he who is called the Christ); when he comes, he will show us all things.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I who speak to you am he.’ Just then his disciples came. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but none said, ‘What do you wish?’ or, ‘Why are you talking with her?’ So the woman left her water jar, and went away into the city, and said to the people, ‘Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?’ They went out of the city and were coming to him. Meanwhile the disciples begged him, saying, ‘Rabbi, eat.’ But he said to them, ‘I have food to eat of which you do not know.’ So the disciples said to one another, ‘Has any one brought him food?’ Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work. Do you not say, “There are yet four months, then comes the harvest”? I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see how the fields are already white for harvest. He who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, so that the sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, “One sows and another reaps.” I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor; others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.’ Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman's testimony, ‘He told me all that I ever did.’ So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of your words that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.’” [00:08:09] On the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Sundays of Lent, the Church allows any parish that is preparing people to receive the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil to use the Cycle A readings, since the Scrutinies complement those readings. So, even though we are in Cycle C, which would mean we would have readings from Luke's Gospel, I will use the Cycle A readings - which are from John's Gospel. This week we hear the story of Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well. [00:08:41] Jesus had been in Jerusalem for Passover, but is now heading back to Galilee. He and his followers would have traveled due north to reach their destination, meaning that they would have used the common road which passed through Samaria, and that is precisely where we find them. So, let's delve into chapter four of John's Gospel… [00:09:03] “[Jesus] came to a city of Samar’ia called Sy’char, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there.” [00:09:12] Jesus' time in Samaria is crucial to his overall mission. Salvation is from the Jews, and we hear that in this reading, but Jesus’ mission and his message is for all people. [00:09:27] Now, John gives us specific details about where Jesus stops which means this place is significant. He mentions Jacob and Joseph… their story is found toward the end of Genesis (most of us recall the part about Joseph and his coat of many colors but that is just the beginning of a very long story). [00:09:48] We are also told that Jacob's well was there. That is actually the most important detail that John gives us. [00:09:56] “Jesus, wearied as he was with his journey, sat down beside the well.” [00:10:02] Remember, Jesus was both fully divine and fully human - meaning that, in his humanity he experienced fatigue, hunger, and thirst, just like the rest of us. Now, the distance from Jerusalem to Galilee is about 70 miles, and travelers could cover roughly 20 in a typical day's walk. Samaria is about 34 miles north of Jerusalem, meaning it would be the halfway point of their journey. So, from all those details, we can estimate that Jesus and his disciples were in the middle of their second day of walking. And remember, wells are always significant! They were seen as easily identifiable meeting places and locations where innocent courtship could take place. [00:10:59] If you remember, Abraham sent an agent to obtain a bride for his son Isaac through a meeting that took place at a well. And Jacob, himself, met Rachel (the love of his life and the mother of Joseph) at the well where she was watering her father's flock of sheep. That's why Jacob and Joseph were mentioned, so with those romantic details in mind, John then tells us… “It was about the sixth hour.” [00:11:30] John never includes details that are insignificant. But, we - to our modern way of thinking - can't really understand what he means by the sixth hour because, no, it doesn't mean 6 am! In biblical times, the day was divided into 12 hours, beginning at sunrise and ending at sundown. Meaning the 3rd hour would correspond to about 9 am, the 6th hour to noon, the 9th hour to 3 pm and the 12th hour to sunset. So, when John tells us: IT WAS ABOUT THE SIXTH HOUR - he's telling us it was just about noon, the sun would have been high overhead, and most people would avoid going to the well at that time of day! It was more sensible to draw water in the cool of the morning and the evening shade than to expend the effort of bringing water up from the well in the heat of midday. [00:12:31] The other consideration is that the women of the town would gather, chat, and likely gossip at the well when they went to draw water. So, they're likely to stay longer and talk more in the cooler hours of the day. “There came a woman of Samar’ia to draw water.” [00:12:52] Now, since we know it's about noon, and since we know that most women wouldn't go to the well at that time of day, John is giving us an important detail about this particular woman. He's telling us that she is avoiding the other women of the city. [00:13:11] “Jesus said to her, ‘Give me a drink.’ For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. [00:13:18] Well, this is an awkward situation. Jesus, a lone Jewish man, finds himself in the company of a Samaritan woman who is also alone. It was socially taboo for a man to speak to any unchaperoned female who was not a member of his own family. On top of that, Jews did not typically speak directly to Samaritans. But Jesus is not asking for mere earthly water, like the water from the well - what he's truly thirsting for is this woman's faith, and he will not leave until he has it! [00:14:02] “The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samar’ia?’ For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.” [00:14:13] Notice the woman's reply is curt and rude, but Jesus is undeterred by her attitude. [00:14:22] “Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, “Give me a drink,” you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.’” [00:14:34] These words are our first hint that Jesus isn't engaging with this woman on a superficial level, but that he is actually inviting her to something deeper. And that he's offering her something profound rather than just asking her for a simple drink. [00:14:58] “The woman said to him, ‘Sir, you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep; where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, with his sons, and his cattle?’” [00:15:13] Notice the woman's attitude has softened a bit, and now she calls him Sir. And she is clearly more engaged since she asks Jesus about the living water he just mentioned. Her last question, however, shows she's not totally won over just yet and she means to put Jesus in his place. [00:15:38] She can't imagine anyone greater than Jacob, so she expects Jesus' answer to be no. We already know this story, so we know that the answer, of course, is that Jesus is greater than Jacob. But Jesus continues, patiently and gently, to draw the woman still more deeply into this encounter. [00:16:05] “Jesus said to her, ‘Every one who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’” [00:16:25] The earthly water that comes from Jacob's well can only satisfy physical thirst for a short time. The water that Jesus offers is Baptism… water that bestows new life in Christ, water that provides an endless source of grace, water that bestows the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and water that opens the way to eternal life in heaven. [00:16:56] “The woman said to him, ‘Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.’” [00:17:03] Obviously, the woman is still very much stuck on an earthly level and is thinking only in the practical sense of not having to come to the well every day to draw water. [00:17:17] “Jesus said to her, ‘Go, call your husband, and come here.’” [00:17:21] Well, we know that's a leading statement, right? “The woman answered him, ‘I have no husband.’ Jesus said to her, ‘You are right in saying “I have no husband”; for you have had five husbands, and he whom you now have is not your husband; this you said truly.’” The woman's response was truthful… as far as it went. But it wasn't the entire truth, which Jesus clearly already knew. Now, numbers are always significant in Scripture. And what numbers have we heard so far? We heard that the woman has had five husbands and is now living with another man to whom she is not wed. Five plus one is six - and six is one short of the perfect number of seven, right? So, where does Jesus come in? [00:18:20] Jesus becomes the seventh man in her life - the one who shows her kindness, gentleness, and respect - the perfect man… the perfect bridegroom. [00:18:43] Now, it would be typical for a bridegroom to arrive in darkness, after the conclusion of the wedding feast, but Jesus arrives in the daylight because he is the light of the world! [00:19:00] “The woman said to him, ‘Sir, I perceive you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain; and you say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.’” Okay, the woman's words tell us that she is growing in faith because she now calls Jesus a prophet. But, since prophets speak for God, the woman essentially challenges Jesus because she knows a prophet's words must be honest. And let me put her question into perspective… for those of us that don't live in the Middle east. The mountain they are standing on is Mount Gerizim but the temple - where Jews worship - is on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. We know that mountains were seen as places of encounter with the divine and the higher the mountain, the better. Truth be told, Mount Gerizim is more impressive than Mount Zion. So, what the woman is actually asking Jesus is: on which mountain are people more likely to encounter God? His answer, however, is not what she expected. [00:20:12] “Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.’” [00:20:28] Now, let me break that down a bit. Jesus’ first point is that there will come a time - in the not too distant future - when people will worship God without having to ascend either Mount Zion or Mount Gerizim, because Jesus will establish a new church and a new way of worship. [00:20:50] Then he says: YOU WORSHIP WHAT YOU DO NOT KNOW… and that's a big part of what separates Jews and Samaritans. Jews believed that Samaritan bloodlines had been polluted by intermarriage with foreigners and their faith contaminated by pagan worship… hence the words: YOU WORSHIP WHAT YOU DO NOT KNOW. Then he adds: WE WORSHIP WHAT WE KNOW, which supports the authenticity of the Jewish faith, but then he says: FOR SALVATION IS FROM THE JEWS. Now that is yet another loaded statement! [00:21:31] On one level, Jesus means that salvation was revealed to the Jews, God's Chosen People, who were prepared for it by the Covenant and the Law. On another level, however, it is Jesus himself, who is a Jew, that through his Passion, Death, and Resurrection, will obtain salvation for all who believe in him. So different levels there in that simple statement… not so simple statement. [00:22:05] So he goes on… “But the hour is coming, and now is, when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” [00:22:26] Those words seem as if they are intended to be convoluted and confusing. They're really not. So, let's break them down. Jesus is the fullness of truth, right? He says - elsewhere in John's Gospel: I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE. So, when we hear the word truth in those sentences we should understand them to mean that Jesus is referring to himself. Then the word spirit means the Holy Spirit - that being which proceeds, in love, from the Father and the Son. We profess that in the creed, right? So, when Jesus says: GOD IS SPIRIT, he means that the Holy Spirit is an inseparable part of the Father, just as it is an inseparable part of Jesus himself. So, putting all of that together, we should see the Trinity: Father, Spirit, and Truth - Father, Holy Spirit, and Jesus. [00:23:34] So what's really happening, even though the woman doesn't realize it, is that Jesus is shifting the focus of his dialogue with her from places like Mount Gerizim and Mount Zion directly onto himself. And the Church that that he is building, based upon Peter and his Apostles, will worship the Triune God through the grace of the Holy Spirit and the intercession of Jesus, the Son… meaning WORSHIP IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH as Jesus says God must be worshiped. “The woman said to him, ‘I know [the] Messiah is coming (he who is called the Christ); when he comes, he will show us all things.’” [00:24:25] Remember, at the time of Jesus expectations were running very high that the Messiah would come soon. And the woman's statement reflects the Samaritans’ expectations of a Messiah. They expected the Messiah to be a prophet possessing all knowledge who would restore the authentic religion of the Samaritans. That differs, remember, from what the Jews expected - who was to be a conquering hero who would free them from their oppressors and rule forever in peace. Quite different expectations! [00:25:05] “Jesus said to her, ‘I who speak to you am he.’” Jesus finally reveals his identity to this woman - he is the Messiah, the one who knows her, who will always be honest with her, and who will fulfill all expectations. [00:25:30] “Just then his disciples came. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but none said, ‘What do you wish?’ or, ‘Why are you talking with her?’” Imagine how shocked Jesus’ disciples had to be when they returned from their errand to buy food only to find Jesus speaking with an unescorted Samaritan woman. And the word here - amazed - is probably better translated as shocked or scandalized. But, the disciples have seen enough by now to know that they really shouldn't question Jesus' actions. If there is something they need to know, he will eventually tell them, and if they don't understand what he tells them, they know he will explain it. “So the woman left her water jar,” That action would have been unthinkable! To leave her water jar - one of the things absolutely necessary for her survival - to just leave that behind would have been unheard of! But, this woman can't wait to share what she has learned with others! She has met the Messiah and she wants to tell everyone in the city about it! “[She] went away into the city, and said to the people, ‘Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?’” [00:27:02] She has gone from avoiding other people in town to actively seeking them out and sharing the good news she has heard! She is evangelizing! And she does so by telling the people of the city, who have shunned her and gossiped about her, that this man she met has told her everything she had ever done. The people in the city already knew it, but now, she says, this stranger also knew. “They went out of the city and were coming to him.” The other Samaritans from the city are responding to the woman's invitation to come and see! [00:27:54] Meanwhile the disciples begged him, saying, ‘Rabbi, eat.’” [00:27:59] Notice how the disciples addressed Jesus - Rabbi (which means teacher), not Master or Lord, but Rabbi. “But he said to them, ‘I have food to eat of which you do not know.’” Jesus, of course, means the divine sustenance of doing God's work but the disciples think he's referring to earthly nourishment. It's their turn to stay on a superficial level, where Jesus is trying to draw them deeper. “[T]he disciples said to one another, ‘Has anyone brought him food?’” [00:28:36] It's almost as if the disciples were brought in just to provide some comic relief at this point, so I've always felt a bit sorry for them. [00:28:50] So, instead, let's assume that they were so hungry that they couldn't think straight, which is why they sounded so clueless. Sometimes hunger can do that to us. “Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work.’” So, Jesus confirms for the disciples that his divine sustenance is doing God's work. Now, the NAB translation uses the word FINISH there instead of ACCOMPLISH - TO FINISH HIS WORK. And that becomes significant because it allows us to connect this passage with the Crucifixion, where Jesus says on the Cross: IT IS FINISHED just before he dies. [00:29:45] But, here, Jesus goes on… “Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see how the fields are already white for harvest.” The first part of that sentence is a proverb which means - don't worry, there's still plenty of time to do what we need to do. But Jesus says, look around… no, you don't! [00:30:09] He goes on… “He who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor; others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.” [00:30:33] So, a reaper collects the crops at harvest time… Jesus is telling the disciples that their job will be to collect a harvest of souls - souls that are fruit for eternal life. The sower is he who plants the seeds and, by that, Jesus means the seeds of faith… Jesus sends his disciples to reap the harvest of souls produced by the work of the Patriarchs, the Prophets, and the words of Jesus himself. The time will come when the disciples, too, will sow seeds of faith… but that will not be until after Jesus' Resurrection. [00:31:21] “Many Samaritans from the city believed in him because of the woman's testimony, ‘He told me all that I ever did.’ So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word.” [00:31:42] Again, numbers are always important. Jesus stayed two days, not three. Three would be a perfect number, meaning that his teaching would have been completed. Only staying there two days meant that Jesus made a significant start - and we hear that in the words MANY MORE BELIEVED - but there is still work to be done among the Samaritans. Others will have to take up where Jesus left off. [00:32:15] “They said to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of your words that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.’” God gives us the gift of faith, but that's only the beginning. It must be nourished and shared with others to reach its full potential… and we see that in the Samaritan woman. One final note - only John pairs the words SAVIOR and WORLD together, and he does it twice… here and in chapter four of his First Letter. In this reading, we have seen how truly extraordinary common, ordinary water can be. Here water facilitated an encounter, it initiated awareness, it brought about growth, and it ultimately became a source of transformation. So, I think it's safe to say that we have taken our first step in recapturing the sacred significance of water. [00:33:37] That takes us to our First Reading, which is from Exodus 17: 3-7. [00:33:43] “[In those days] the people thirsted there for water, and the people murmured against Moses, and said, ‘Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?’ So Moses cried to the LORD, ‘What shall I do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.’ And the LORD said to Moses, ‘Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel; and take in your hand the rod with which you struck the Nile, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, that the people may drink.’ And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. And he called the name of the place Massah and Meri’bah, because of the fault-finding of the sons of Israel, and because they put the LORD to the test by saying, ‘Is the LORD among us or not?’” [00:34:45] In this passage, we catch up with the Israelites when they have been out of Egypt for a couple of months and are, to be honest, regretting their choice because they are uncomfortable. So, what do they do? They direct their anger toward Moses, who is God's representative, because, let's face it, it's easier and safer to be angry with Moses than it is to be angry with God. But Moses is more than God's representative - he is a Mediator between God and his Chosen People, which, as it turns out, they desperately need… over and over again. They are stubborn, argumentative, and unruly and they need Moses to intercede on their behalf with God more often than they need Moses to explain God's actions to them. So, let's delve into this particular story… [00:35:51] “[In those days] the people thirsted there for water, and the people murmured against Moses, and said, ‘Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?’” [00:36:06] Well, of course they were thirsty. They're in the desert and they've exhausted the supplies they brought with them from Egypt. But notice, the Israelites turn on Moses and ask why he led them out of Egypt! Never mind that they begged God to release them from captivity. No, this is all Moses' fault! And, to answer their question… no, Moses did not free them at all! God freed them from slavery, but not so that they would die of thirst, but they aren't in a mood to listen and they like to complain! [00:36:45] “Moses cried to the LORD, ‘What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.’” In his role as Mediator between God and the Chosen People, Moses is reminding God that it is God who is responsible for this entire situation - including putting Moses in the position which he now finds himself – so, his question is: God, how do you want me to handle this? “[T]he LORD said to Moses, ‘Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel; and take in your hand the rod with which you struck the Nile, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, that the people may drink.’” God instructs Moses to use his shepherd's crook - the same one he carried when he first encountered God in the Burning Bush (remember, he was out tending the sheep), the one he used to turn the Nile to blood, the one that parted the Red Sea so the Israelites could cross in safety… the staff that the people associated most closely with God's power and Moses’ authority – and, along with the elders of the people (another symbol of authority), strike the rock so that water comes out for the people to drink. “And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. And he called the name of the place Massah and Mer’ibah, because of the fault-finding of the sons of Israel, and because they put the LORD to the test by saying, ‘Is the LORD among us or not?’” Massah means test and Meribah means contention, so those names really capture the belligerence of the Israelites. They should have known better! They witnessed all of God's signs and wonders, right? The plagues in Egypt, the parting and closing of the Red Sea, the thunder and lightning atop Mount Sinai, the manna and quail given to them as food… yet, still they doubted. God's response to their childish behavior is to care for them - just as it is for us when we sin. [00:39:16] This passage shows water being a source of confrontation that will eventually lead to a greater level of trust in God. That should have helped us take another step in recapturing the sacred significance of water! [00:39:41] Our Responsorial Psalm this week is Psalm 95 and the refrain is: “If today you hear his voice harden not your hearts.” [00:39:50] In the RSV the response is: “O that today you would listen to his voice! Harden not your hearts.” The difference between those two translations is, basically, that one is a request and one is a statement. The request makes a more appropriate refrain than the statement does. So, that's why I gave you the NAB refrain: “If today you hear his voice harden not your hearts.” [00:40:18] And here are the verses… “O come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. O today that you would listen to his voice! Harden not your hearts, as at Meri’bah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, when your fathers tested me, and put me to the [test,] though they had seen my work.” This Psalm is a Liturgical Hymn demonstrating God's constant care for his people, even when we are unaware of his presence. And, clearly, the Lectionary pairs this Psalm with Exodus because it mentions Massah and Meribah. It's also worth noting that the refrain begins with the word if… If today we hear God's voice, but the rest of that request is how we should normally behave, right? We should always love God, but we're not always perfect at it. Which means we should redouble our efforts and Lent can help us with that… prayer softens our hearts, and almsgiving teaches us that we can be good to others precisely because God is always good to us! [00:42:02] That leads us to our Second Reading, which is from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans 5: 1-2, 5-8. “[Brothers and Sisters:] Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God. [A]nd hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. While we were yet helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Why, one will hardly die for a righteous man - though perhaps for a good man one will dare even to die. God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” Saint Paul's Letter to the Romans, as I have said before, is an Ambassadorial Letter, written by Paul to introduce himself to the Christian community in Rome in the hopes that they would help him to launch a missionary journey to Spain. This letter is not written to instruct, correct, or encourage a faith community which Paul and his companions established. So, rather than writing from a position of authority, Paul quite strongly identifies himself with his audience. In fact, Paul uses the words: WE, US or OUR a total of 14 times in this short passage. So, let's break open what Paul has to say… “[Brothers and Sisters:] Since we are justified by faith,” What does Paul mean by justification? Catholics typically see that as a very Protestant term - the word justification. But the Catechism of the Catholic Church says that justification conforms us to the righteousness of God (Father, Son, and Spirit), and cleanses us from our sins, through the Sacrament of Baptism and the grace of the Holy Spirit. “Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Specifically, through his Passion, Death, and Resurrection. “Through him we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand,” [00:44:45] In other words, we have the courage to stand… we are given the courage to stand… we possess the courage to stand before God because of the very grace we receive through the Sacraments, particularly the Sacrament of Baptism (as the Catechism tells us), but also the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist. [00:45:10] “and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God.” Meaning we rejoice in doing God's work in the world… in whatever form that takes for each individual person. Remember, Paul was trying to convince the Christian community in Rome to help him further his mission of spreading the Good News by launching a mission to Spain. But those words should also inspire us to serve the Church, the community, and our families in love. [00:45:49] And this next verse is one of my absolute favorite quotes from Paul. “[A]nd hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” That is such a beautiful statement! These gifts - the gift of God's love poured into our hearts and the gift of the Holy Spirit - are given to us by God in abundance. Not because we deserve them, not because we have earned them, but for no other reason than because God loves us! [00:46:44] Paul goes on… “While we were yet helpless,” Meaning while we were still in our sin. “at the right time” In the fullness of time, according to God's plan. “Christ died for the ungodly.” What Paul means by that is everyone who has not yet heard or accepted the good news of Jesus. [00:47:10] Keep in mind (I know I've said it before) but Paul's purpose in writing this letter was to get the help of the Christian community in Rome to launch a new missionary journey that would allow him to continue spreading the Gospel, the good news of Christ. And remember (I know I've said this before too) but Gospel does not mean one of the four written Gospels as we would understand it today. It simply means the Good News of the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus. [00:47:46] “Why, one will hardly die for a righteous man - though perhaps for a good man one will dare even to die.” I've often wondered if that sentence was meant to soften any negative opinions the Romans may have held regarding Paul. First of all, we have to keep in mind that Paul - before his conversion, was named Saul - and he was a persecutor of early Christians, right? That is their starting point for understanding and knowing who this man is. And if you've ever read any books about Paul, it's quite clear that he was not the easiest person to get along with, he was often seen as harsh, confrontational, and stubborn but - in spite of all that - no one would argue that he wasn't a righteous man… either as a Pharisee before his conversion or as a follower of Jesus afterwards. [00:48:51] So, what does Paul mean when he says a righteous man? He probably has in mind someone who is just and ethical, who lives according to God's will, but is not necessarily kind or likable. That would certainly be an apt description of Paul. So, what then does Paul mean when he says a good man? Probably someone who is just and likable, ethical and generous, someone who not only lives according to God's will but also loves as God loves. [00:49:33] Paul goes on… “But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” Meaning that God always takes the initiative! He always makes the first overture! WHILE WE WERE YET SINNERS? I'm reminded, in that, of Jesus's words in the Sermon on the Plain from Luke's Gospel that God is KIND TO THE UNGRATEFUL AND THE SELFISH. Those words, like Paul's words: WHILE WE WERE YET SINNERS remind us that that we are all sinful people, that we all have plenty of faults, but God loves us anyway. And, going back to my favorite verse… [A]ND HOPE DOES NOT DISAPPOINT, BECAUSE THE LOVE OF GOD HAS BEEN POURED INTO OUR HEARTS THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT WHO HAS BEEN GIVEN TO US… those words should, again, call to mind the image of water… the gentle movement of water (like a gently flowing stream) so common and familiar to us, becomes a stunning metaphor for God's love being poured into our hearts. This week's readings have taught us to reclaim the sacredness of water by seeing how extraordinary it really is. We have marveled at its beauty, been surprised by its persistence, and remain in awe of its ability to transform us. Just like the season of Lent… which is not yet over! So, let's keep up our efforts at prayer, fasting, and almsgiving so that we are ready to fully appreciate the joy of Easter! If you would like to reach out to me with questions or comments, send me an email at [email protected] Thank you for spending this time with me and until next we meet, may God shower his blessings upon you like a soft and gentle rain and may he hold you, safe and secure, in the palm of his hand. From His Word to Our Hearts is produced by SFS Audio Solutions. The content of the show was assembled by me, Sally Moriarty-Flask. Our music was composed by Jimmy Flask and is used with permission of the composer. All rights reserved. Information regarding references used in preparing the exegesis for this podcast is available upon request. Thank you for listening and God Bless.