March 27th, 2011 - 3rd Sunday of Lent

Readings:

Exodus 17:3-7

"I will be standing there in front of you on the rock in Horeb. Strike the rock, and the water will flow from it for the people to drink." 

Later Jesus would pour forth his blood. Remember what Jesus said in John 6:53: " I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you."

The rock of Horeb = Jesus.

Psalm 95:1-2, 6-9

"Harden not your hearts." 

After the Bread of Life discourse in the Book of John 6:60:  "Many of his disciples who were listening said, "This saying is hard; who can accept it?"

Remember in John 6:66 many followers DID harden their hearts: "As a result of this, many (of) his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him."

Romans 5:1-2, 5-8

While we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 

John 4:5-15,19-26, 39-42

"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."  

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Striking the Rock

The Israelites’ hearts were hardened by their hardships in the desert.

Though they saw His mighty deeds, in their thirst they grumble and put God to the test in today’s First
Reading - a crisis point recalled also in today’s Psalm.

Jesus is thirsty too in today’s Gospel. He thirsts for souls (see John 19:28). He longs to give the Samaritan woman the living waters that well up to eternal life.

These waters couldn’t be drawn from the well of Jacob, father of the Israelites and the Samaritans. But Jesus was something greater than Jacob (see Luke 11:31-32).

The Samaritans were Israelites who escaped exile when Assyria conquered the Northern Kingdom eight centuries before Christ (see 2 Kings 17:6,24-41). They were despised for intermarrying with non-Israelites and worshiping at Mount Gerazim, not Jerusalem.

But Jesus tells the woman that the “hour” of true worship is coming, when all will worship God in Spirit and truth.

Jesus’ “hour” is the “appointed time” that Paul speaks of in today’s Epistle. It is the hour when the Rock of our salvation was struck on the Cross. Struck by the soldier’s lance, living waters flowed out from our Rock (see John 19:34-37).

These waters are the Holy Spirit (see John 7:38-39), the gift of God (see Hebrews 6:4).

By the living waters the ancient enmities of Samaritans and Jews have been washed away, the dividing wall between Israel and the nations is broken down (see Ephesians 2:12-14,18). Since His hour, all may drink of the Spirit in Baptism (see 1 Corinthians 12:13).

In this Eucharist, the Lord now is in our midst - as He was at the Rock of Horeb and at the well of Jacob.

In the “today” of our Liturgy, He calls us to believe: “I am He,” come to pour out the love of God into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. How can we continue to worship as if we don’t understand? How can our hearts remain hardened?

You can listen to Scott Hahn's reflection here!