Homily 3rd Sunday Lent 2023
Franklin Fong, OFM
March 12, 2023
Today’s lectionary readings each use the imagery of thirst in our lives of faith. Life is an endless search for what will quench what seems to be insatiable thirsts.
In the first reading today the people with Moses ask for water to drink in the desert giving us an awareness that we may have reasons to express our dissatisfaction over what we lack in life.
The psalm invites us to worship God for he is our shepherd who leads us to the waters to quench our thirst!
The second reading talks about the death of Jesus which quenches thirst for salvation, which raises our awareness that our deepest thirsts are only satisfied by the gift of faith, the love of God and the hope of one day drinking the living water o eternal life.
The gospel reading talks about Jesus, who can provide water that quenches thirst forever in a spiritual perspective and not just from a physical perspective. The thirst that Jesus satisfies is for trust in God’s ways of providing for our needs. The water that Jesus speaks about is the gift of divine life. So you can now see that this water that Jesus provides for the Samaritan woman is the gift of divine life. This kind of water alone will satisfy thirst forever.
We too are offered this gift of new life within us! The Holy Spirit’s inward presence is welcomed by our FAITH ! To be a Christian is something more that to be a good person and to believe in a certain creed. To be a Christian is to live by a spiritual dynamic within one’s self.
As with this woman at Jacob’s well, we really desire the fountain of life. We, too, should ask Jesus to “give me this water”. From the second reading, we are reminded that our request and expectancy of being heard will be answered: “this hope will not leave us as disappointed, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given us.”
In whatever ways that we express our deepest thirst or hunger, we should desire above all else God’s gifts to us. They are the best gifts we can share with one another. Yes, there is an abundant harvest that awaits our sowing and our reaping.
So, during the remaining weeks of Lent, increase and intensify your prayerful meetings with the Lord. Such exchanges will in turn deepen your appreciation of the gifts that we receive and that we give in our encounters with others such as family, friends, and yes even total strangers like the Samaritan woman !
Take some time in the coming week focus each day on reflecting on how you have shown and shared your faith to different people through the years. On the first day reflect on how you showed and shared your faith to family. On the second day reflect on how did you showed and shared your faith to friends? On the third day reflect on how did you showed and shared your faith to strangers? Finally on the fourth day, reflect on what new ways could you continue to deepen your appreciation for meeting the Holy Spirit in family, friends and strangers ! Are there any new ways you can show or share your faith ?
We now prepare to receive the sacrament of eucharist that quenches our thirst for God. The presence of Jesus Christ in the eucharist now accompanies us in our journey to salvation. We now bring that light of Christ to our family, friends and strangers in our lives. In the eucharist, we truly attain fullness of life!
Brothers and sisters of the Chinese Catholic Community
that is the Good News for this 3rd Sunday of Lent.
Amen Amen
(中文翻譯.原文以英文為準.)
四旬期甲年第三主日 (03/12/2023)
鄺神父主日講道中譯本
讀經一: 創世紀 17: 3-7
讀經二: 聖保祿宗徒致羅馬人書 5: 1-2, 5-8
若望福音: 4: 5-26, 39-42
今天的讀經都使用了我們信仰生活中口渴的比喻。生命是一種無盡的探索,尋找可以消除看似永不滿足的渴望的東西。
在今天的讀經一中,梅瑟的人民要求在沙漠中喝水,讓我們意識到我們可能有理由表達我們對生活中缺乏的東西的不滿。
聖詠邀請我們敬拜天主,因為他是我們的牧羊人,帶領我們到水邊解渴!
讀經二談到耶穌的死解了人對救恩的渴,這讓我們意識到,我們最深的渴只能通過信仰的禮物、天主的愛和有一天喝到永生的活水的希望來滿足。
福音讀經談到耶穌,他可以從精神的角度,而不僅僅是從身體的角度,提供永遠解渴的水。耶穌滿足的渴望是相信天主會供應我們需要的方式。耶穌所說的水是神聖生命的禮物。所以你現在可以看到,耶穌為撒瑪黎雅婦人提供的水是神聖生命的禮物。唯有這種水,才能永遠解渴。
我們也得到了我們內在新生命的禮物! 我們的信心歡迎聖神的內在同在! 做一個基督徒比做一個好人和相信某種教義更重要。成為基督徒就是靠自己內心的精神動力生活。
正如雅各伯井旁的這位婦人一樣,我們真的渴望生命之泉。我們也應該祈求耶穌“給我這水”。從讀經二開始,我們被提醒,我們的請求和期望將得到回應: “這個希望不會讓我們失望,因為天主的愛已經通過賜給我們的聖神澆灌在我們的心中”。
無論我們以何種方式表達我們最深切的渴望或飢餓,我們都應該首先渴望天主給我們的禮物。它們是我們可以彼此分享的最好的禮物。是的,有豐收等待我們播種和收割。
因此,在四旬期剩下的幾周裡,增加並加強你與主的祈禱會面。這樣的交流反過來會加深你對我們收到的禮物的感激,以及我們在與家人、朋友,甚至像撒瑪黎雅婦人這樣完全陌生的人相遇時給予的禮物!
在接下來的一周裡,每天花一些時間專注於反思這些年來你是如何向不同的人展示和分享你的信仰的。第一天反思你如何向家人展示和分享你的信仰。第二天反思你是如何向朋友展示和分享你的信仰的? 第三天反思你是如何向陌生人展示和分享你的信仰的? 最後在第四天,反思一下你可以用什麼新的方式繼續加深你對在家人、朋友和陌生人中遇見聖神的感激! 您有什麼新的方式可以展示或分享您的信仰嗎?
我們現在準備接受聖體聖事,以消除我們對天主的渴望。耶穌基督在聖體聖事中的臨在現在陪伴著我們走向救恩的旅程。現在,我們將基督的光帶給我們的家人、朋友和生活中的陌生人。在聖體聖事中,我們真正獲得生命的圓滿!
華人天主教團體的弟兄姊妹, 這是四旬期第三個主日的好消息。
亞孟, 亞孟!
