February 26/27, 2005 - (4:30 PM Saturday, and 8:30 AM Sunday)

In the first reading this Sunday, from the Book of Exodus,  we are given the picture of the chosen people in the desert, certainly worn out from their wandering in the desert, thirsty and uncertain, and they gave way to grumbling, ill speaking of Moses, and lots of complaining.  In the midst of all of it, God shows his power with water from the rock.  To the answer to their query, is God in their midst, certainly the response is a resounding YES.   If we fast forward to the Woman at the Well, there in all likelihood, was a lot of rumors or murmuring about her life, and a lot of uncertainty on her part, yet when she met the Lord, he life was changed, and she found that truly God was in their midst, he had come into her life, and wrought a great transformation.  After all, He knew everything about her before she even spoke!  As the Lord sat down at the well, in his tiredness, even though she does not know it, he is already helping her to carry her burden…not only the jar of water, but her life.   The presence of the Son of God enabled her to do this; He was already at the well waiting for her.  In the end, instead of carrying the jar for her self, she was bringing people to Him, so all could know the Savior of the World. 

            The readings this weekend are full of a lot of imagery, that point to Baptism, to its cleansing and transforming power as it brings us the life of God, and into the Death and Resurrection of Christ    Quite appropriate, as we journey to Easter, and know that people are in our midst preparing for this Sacrament.  But, I wonder if we need to turn back as well to the people of God in the desert, and their response to the Lord in their frustration.  Their murmurings, their speaking with each other, their rumors are probably very similar to ours these days, and we ask the question [referring to last Sunday] , is the Lord in our midst or not, or perhaps put in a different way, is Christ faithful to his promise or not to remain with us, his Church until the end of time.  We can all feel the helplessness, at times, that St. Paul speaks of,   and maybe even wonder, for a brief moment, that the answer is no.  Then we may as well turn out the lights and go home.  But we are here, and we must one more time answer YES.   The sudden appearance of the water  - a manifestation of the faithfulness of God - to the chosen people called them out of their murmurings, their rumors, and their complaints.   That is what the readings are meant to do with us this weekend.  St. Paul says clearly that “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…..God proves His love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.”  

            The account of the Woman at the Well is a meeting with the living Christ who changed her life, and the lives of all in that village, in that community.  That same living Christ is here, already at the well, waiting for us, to carry our burdens, and to transform us.   We are in the midst of a special year dedicated to the Eucharist.  Quite fitting for us in a Church dedicated to the Eucharist, the Blessed Sacrament, and in a year in which we are about to undertake the task of restoring and rebuilding this place where the Lord dwells, so we can more easily and readily encounter Him.  Let us in this year, especially in these months bring him our burdens, worries, troubles, negative conversations and dark moments.  Let us lay them down at his feet, because, life for the woman at the Well, he is already waiting for us here in the Eucharist.  Perhaps we can find that our short term solutions to our concerns, or what we have been seeking our lives that never satisfies,  can be replaced by the life of Christ Himself, His very presence.  Because, having been baptized into his life, He has in fact, already arrived at the well and is waiting for us.  Then we, with the Samaritan woman, can be lifted out of whatever our present situation is, and say with the Samaritan people that “We no longer believe because of your word;  for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that he is truly the Savior of the world.”