Homily – Third Sunday of Lent / Homily for St. John’s
(Ex 17:3-7; Rom 5:1-2, 5-8; Jn 4:5-42)
Today’s readings speak about something very simple that we all understand thirst.
In the first reading from the Book of Exodus, the people of Israel were walking
through the desert. It was hot, dry, and they had no water. They were very thirsty
and began to complain to Moses. They even started doubting whether God was
really with them.
But God did not abandon them. God told Moses to strike the rock, and when he did,
water flowed out. God gave them the water they needed to live.
Water is something we cannot live without. When we are thirsty, nothing else really
satisfies us.
In today’s Gospel from the Gospel of John, we hear another story about thirst. Jesus
Christ is sitting by a well, and a Samaritan woman comes to draw water. Jesus asks
her for a drink. Then He tells her something surprising:
“Whoever drinks the water I give will never be thirsty again.”
Jesus is not only talking about ordinary water. He is speaking about the living water
of God’s love, the life that comes from God and fills our hearts.
The woman at the well had been searching for happiness in many ways, but she was
still empty inside. When she met Jesus, everything began to change. Jesus knew her,
understood her, and still loved her. And because of that encounter, her life was
transformed.
Brothers and sisters, we all have this kind of thirst in our hearts. We thirst for love,
for peace, for forgiveness, and for meaning in our lives. Nothing in the world can
fully satisfy that thirst except God.
And that is why today I want to speak especially to our children who are preparing
to receive their First Holy Communion.
Dear children, very soon you will come to the altar to receive Jesus in the Holy
Eucharist for the very first time. That is a very special moment in your lives.
Sometimes people think Holy Communion is just a piece of bread. But we know
something much deeper and more beautiful. In the Eucharist, it is truly Jesus
Himself who comes to us. The same Jesus who spoke to the woman at the well, the
same Jesus who loved the poor and forgave sinners, the same Jesus who gave His
life for us — He comes to us in Holy Communion.
When you receive Holy Communion, Jesus is giving you the living water He spoke
about in today’s Gospel. He comes into your heart to fill it with His love, His grace,
and His life.
Think about how wonderful that is. The Creator of the universe wants to come into
your heart.
But Jesus also asks something from us. Just as He spoke personally to the woman at
the well, He wants to have a personal friendship with each one of us.
Friendships grow when we spend time together. That is true with our friends, and it
is also true with Jesus.
So as you prepare for your First Holy Communion, remember three simple things.
First, talk to Jesus. Prayer is simply speaking to Him like a friend. Tell Him what
makes you happy, what worries you, and what you hope for.
Second, listen to Jesus. We listen to Him when we hear the Word of God at Mass
and when we read the Bible.
And third, come to Jesus often in the Eucharist. Every time we receive Holy
Communion with faith and love, Jesus fills our hearts again with His grace.
Dear children, the day of your First Holy Communion will be a very beautiful day,
but it is really just the beginning of something even more important: a lifelong
friendship with Jesus.
And this message is not only for the children. It is also for all of us. Sometimes we
look for happiness in many places — success, possessions, comfort — but still feel
empty inside. That is because our hearts were made for God.
Jesus is still saying to each of us today what He said to the woman at the well:
“If you knew the gift of God… you would ask Him, and He would give you living
water.”
Every time we come to Mass, Jesus invites us again to that living water. He speaks to
us in His Word, and He gives Himself to us in the Eucharist.
So during this Lenten season, let us ask the Lord to deepen our thirst for Him. Let us
ask Him to help us come to the Eucharist with greater faith, love, and gratitude.
And for our children preparing for First Holy Communion, let us pray that their
hearts will always remain open to Jesus, who wants to fill their lives with the living
water of His love.
Amen.
