3rd Sunday in Lent
March 12, 2023
Theme: Go and proclaim: “Jesus as the Living Water and Everlasting Life”
First Reading: Exodus 17:1-7
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 95:1-3,4-6,8-9,11
Second Reading: Romans 5:1-8
Gospel Reading: John 4:5-14
Homily by Fr. Romie-Jun Peñalosa
The season of Lent talks about God’s love. God loves us in spite of our sins and failures in life. Lent is a preparation for Christ’s resurrection. It’s on His resurrection that we also rise up with Christ.
In the Gospel, Jesus is talking to the Samaritan woman. During those times, Jews and Samaritans hated each other. Jews who talked to Samaritan people were considered unclean and therefore, unable to enter the temple. But Jesus broke the cultural barriers, showing that His love for us knows no bounds.
There are three principles that was shown in the Gospel. First, God’s love for us is so great that God will always pursue us. God is relentless. Therefore, if there are barriers that hinder us from coming to God, He will cross it for us. And this is what He did when he broke the cultural barriers between Him – a Jew, and the woman, a Samaritan. God will never give up on us. He is interested in everything that we say because He listens to us.
Second, God loves you so much that He will change us. Don’t try to hide yourself from God because God knows you very well. Let’s be honest whenever we talk to Him. His love transforms lives. We will worship God in Jesus. The place does not matter, for through Jesus, we can now worship Him in spirit and in truth.
Lastly, God’s love compels us to go on a mission. God pursued and changed us and now, it’s time to change the lives of others by sharing His good news. Don’t just be comfortable inside your church. Go out and preach His word. Bring Jesus to the people who can’t come to church so that Jesus will love and pursue them also.
A living encounter with Jesus changes our lives here on earth. Let Christ come into our lives so that He will then transform everything that surrounds us. Open you heart to Jesus because God will change you first before He will change your life.
Homily Recap by Riana Chelle Montero
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