Greetings in the name of Our Lord! This Sunday, our
gospel lesson recalls the story of the Samaritan woman who
asks Jesus for water. She is at Jacob's well and her request
is rather shocking because fetching water was womens
work. In an image of our thirst for God, Jesus offers her
living water, a sign of God’s grace flowing from the waters of
baptism. The early church used this gospel and those of the
next two Sundays to deepen baptismal reflection during the
final days of preparation before baptism at Easter. As we
journey to the resurrection feast, Christ comes among us in
word, bath, and meal—offering us the life-
giving water of God’s mercy and forgiveness.
Let us rejoice in the gift of baptism!
May God be with you all as we begin our 40 day
Lenten journey! This is a season for renewal and
reevaluation of priorities. It is also a time for repentance.
This week’s gospel tells of Jesus’ temptation in the
desert. His forty day fast becomes the basis of our Lenten
pilgrimage. In the early church Lent was a time of intense
preparation for those to be baptized at the Easter Vigil.
This catechetical focus on the meaning of faith is at the
heart of our Lenten journey to the baptismal waters of
Easter. Hungry for God’s mercy, we receive the bread of
life to nourish us for the days ahead.
Blessings to all!