A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 6, n. 13)
Third Sunday of Lent, Year A – February 24, 2008
“The Gift of Water”
BIBLE READINGS
Ex 17:3-7 // Rom 5:1-, 5-8 // Jn 4:5-42
N.B. Series 6 of BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD: A LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY LITURGY includes a prayerful study of the Sunday liturgy of Year A from the perspective of the First Reading. For another set of reflections on the Sunday liturgy of Year A, please go to the PDDM Web Archives: WWW.PDDM.US and open Series 3.
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS
The Church continues its Lenten journey towards the Easter glory together with the “elect” - the candidates preparing to receive the sacrament of Christian initiation during Easter Vigil. Through the bible readings proclaimed on the first two Sundays of Lent, the baptized Christian believers and the candidates have contemplated the challenge of baptismal fidelity and their vocation to grace and glory. The bible readings of the last three Sundays of Lent present to the Christian community and the candidates the meaning of baptism as regeneration, illumination and rising to new life.
On this third Sunday of Lent, our prayerful contemplation is riveted on the powerful and refreshing image of “living water” as an expression of the presence of God, of his goodness and care, of his saving plan and the messianic times and, above all, of the outpouring of the life-giving Spirit through the paschal sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. The overwhelming magnitude and intensity of the gift of “living water” in Jesus Christ becomes more evident against the backdrop of the Old Testament reading narrating the extreme frustration of the people of Israel thirsting in the wilderness (Ex 17:3-7).
The liturgical scholar Adrian Nocent comments: “The people of God are weary; they have been on the march for a long time. They are fatigued and have nothing. They have no sense of unity, no efficient organization. It is quite understandable then, humanly speaking, that they should rebel. What is less understandable is that they should rebel against God who has done already so much for them. They forgot the past and the Lord’s constant care for them, and with needless violence, began to complain and grow angry: Give us water to drink (Ex 17:2). Their cry, addressed to Moses and through him to God, might have been a confident appeal in time of trial, a request inspired by optimism and sure of a saving answer. In fact, it was a kind of curse uttered in despair. Thus the people of Israel were turning away from their God. Here was a crucial moment in their journey and a sin of despair that would forever leave its mark on them … The rock stands before the people, solid and inexorable. Even Moses himself does not seem too sure of the Lord’s omnipotence, and Aaron shares his uneasiness … The power of the Lord does manifest itself, despite the weakness of Moses’ faith … All trust must be in the Lord, but the trust is justified: Water came forth abundantly (Num 20:11) … The water gushing from the rock was to play a key role in the life of Israel, for it was a sign of how much they were loved by the Lord who would henceforth be called the Rock of salvation.”
The water springing from the rock for the people in exodus proved the saving presence of God in their midst. The gushing, refreshing water indicated the richness of divine blessings and his infinite care. The gift of “water” to slake the burning thirst in the wilderness is a symbol of the ultimate salvation that God would offer in his Son Jesus in the messianic age (cf. Jn 4:5-42). At the well of Jacob, Jesus revealed to the Samaritan woman that the messianic age has come. Indeed, to the Samaritan woman and to all believers, Christ’s gift of “living water” – that is, the gift of eternal life conferred by the waters of baptism and made possible by his paschal sacrifice on the cross - is offered.
Adrian Nocent explicates: “The promises are now fulfilled. The Israelites had asked for water, and the Lord now gives it anew, but it is mightier water than before. Now water will be the instrument of salvation, the source of life, a well out of which man is reborn as one emerging with Christ from the tomb and entering upon a new life that is the pledge of eternal life. For baptism is not an end but a beginning, a rebirth leading to a struggle that will last until Christ returns. Water becomes a spiritual drink and is transformed into the blood of Christ that was poured out to ransom the multitude. Baptism and Eucharist together constitute a complete initiation into the life of God.”
The “living water” is an unmerited and undeserved gift given to us by the gracious, caring God through his Son Jesus Christ. As baptized Christians, it is our personal responsibility to make sure that these life-giving waters spring up and that nothing impede the abundant flow of grace to us and the people around us. Lent is a favorable time to receive the renewed outpouring of baptismal grace and the refreshing blessings of God so that we too may become channels of life-giving water for the thirsting people in today’s anguished, sere and suffering world.
In the following story, Susan Hreljac from Ontario, Canada tells of how her first grade son Ryan became a channel of grace for the thirsting people in Uganda (cf. “A Well in Uganda” in GUIDEPOSTS, February 2002, p. 43-55 Large Print Edition). Through his limpid faith and selfless dedication, Ryan helped raise the money for a well to supply water for the children in the Angolo Primary School. He was only six years old when he heard from his teacher that the poor people in Africa drink bad water from swamps and streams and get sick and die, but with seventy dollars they could make a well in the ground to drink from. Ryan asked seventy dollars from his parents for the well project, but Mark and Susan, refusing to dole out and wishing him to learn the value of work, encouraged their enterprising son to earn the amount instead. Susan narrates:
Ryan washed windows, swept the garage and picked up branches after an ice storm. He was an average student, but when he brought home an improved report card that spring, we gave him an extra five dollars, which he immediately put in the cookie tin. Each night, his prayers would end with the now familiar “And please help me get clean water for the poor people in Africa.” I kept waiting for Ryan to tire of the chores … But he kept plugging away, even helping the neighbors with their yard work. Ryan picked up a few more dollars collecting pinecones with his brothers for my mother to use in her craft projects … I called my friend Brenda, who worked for an organization that helped developing countries around the world, and quickly filled her in on Ryan’s well project … Brenda, Ryan and I went to WaterCan’s office that April. Ryan struggled under the weight of the cookie tin, but he was determined to present it to the director, Nicole Bosley, himself. “Here’s seventy-five dollars I earned,” he said. “Please use it for a well in Africa. There’s an extra five dollars. Maybe you should use it to buy the workers some lunch.” “Thank you, Ryan,” Nicole said. “Your gift means a lot, but I have to tell you this much money will only buy a hand pump. To drill a well actually costs about two thousand dollars.” Ryan didn’t seem fazed by this news at all. “That’s okay,” he said, “I’ll just do more chores.” … Later that spring, Ryan turned seven. The chores continued. I loved his dedication, but I knew he was setting himself up for a fall. All Ryan’s hard work was only earning him a few dollars a week. Still Ryan kept up his hard work throughout the summer, and early that fall Ottawa Citizen ran a story about “Ryan’s Well.” Then a TV station did a feature on him. Checks flooded in … Thanks to contributions, Ryan was approaching the $1,000 mark, but $2,000 still seemed too much to hope for. Ryan on the other hand, was confident as ever. He had put so much himself into this cause, I was really starting to worry he might get hurt. I received a call from Nicole that week. “Susan, I have great news,” she said. “WaterCan works with the Canadian International Development Agency and they matched Ryan’s funds two to one!” The goal of $2,000 has been reached! “Now I’ll speak to the Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief (CPAR) about digging the well.” Ryan practically danced around the house in jubilation …
Mark, Ryan and I were able to arrange a trip to see Ryan’s well in July … The dirt road was lined with scores of children in blue and white uniforms, all clapping in unison as my son made his way toward Angolo Primary School. Village elders came forward, “This way, Ryan. Come see your well.” They led Ryan to the well, which was adorned with flowers. He knelt to read the inscription at its base: Ryan’s Well, Funded by Ryan H. Ryan raised his head and looked at me, his eyes wide … I saw for myself how far Ryan’s sensitivity and faith had taken him – all the way to Africa. I couldn’t wait to see where it would take us next.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART
What does water symbolize in the natural world? What are the various meanings of water in the Bible? What does the “water gushing from the rock” signify for the thirsting Israelites in the desert? What attitude is reflected in their complaint and frantic demand, “Give us water, so that we may drink”? What is the reaction of Moses? What is the kindly response of the Lord Yahweh?
What insights can you glean from the encounter of Jesus with the Samaritan woman by the well? Why is this encounter important? What is the meaning of Jesus’ gift of “living water” and his promise that there will be no more thirst and that the water he would give would become “a spring of water welling up to eternal life”? How does the gift of “living water” relate to the Paschal Mystery and our immersion into the sacramental waters of baptism?
What is our personal obligation to the gift of “living water” given to us by Jesus? How do we endeavor to live out our baptismal consecration to the full? How do we treasure the gift of eternal life offered to us at our baptism? Do we resolve to be open to God’s grace and to be in turn channels of his grace to others? How do we share the gift of “living water” with the various “thirsts” of the people of today?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD
Leader: Loving Father,
through the gift of water gushing from the rock,
you slaked the burning thirst of your people Israel in the desert.
Again and again,
you had responded to their frantic cries
and provided for their needs.
The refreshing water in the wilderness
signified your saving presence in their midst
and your loving care for them.
O gracious God, you are our rock of salvation!
Your gift of water for the people in exodus
prefigured the gift of “living water” offered by Jesus
to the Samaritan woman by the well.
The promise of “living water” would flow abundantly
from the pierced side of Christ
in his paschal sacrifice on the cross.
Immersed into his paschal destiny through the sacramental water of baptism
and nourished by his body and blood at the table of the Eucharist,
our infinite thirst for eternal life is satisfied.
O gracious God, font of love,
pour upon us the power of the Holy Spirit,
so that in Jesus our Lord
we may be channels of grace for a thirsting, anguished world.
Together with Jesus, the ultimate “well spring” of eternal life,
we resolve to refresh the burning thirst of today’s humankind.
We love you and adore you.
We invoke you in the name of Jesus and praise you,
now and forever.
Assembly: Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.
“Whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (Jn 4:14)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION
ACTION PLAN: Meditate on the wonderful gift of “living water” given to us by God in Jesus and on the meaning of baptism as regeneration into a new life. Through your acts of charity and personal dedication, endeavor to slake the various thirsts of the needy people in our society. Do what you can to help provide clean water for the many poor in various developing countries around the world.
ACTION PLAN: To help us experience more gratefully God’s gift of “living water” personified in Jesus Christ, make an effort to spend an hour in Eucharistic Adoration. Visit the PDDM WEB site (www.pddm.us) for the EUCHARISTIC ADORATION THROUGH THE LITURGICAL YEAR (Vol. 4, n. 13): A Weekly Pastoral Tool.
Prepared by Sr. Mary Margaret Tapang PDDM
PIAE DISCIPULAE DIVINI MAGISTRI
SISTER DISCIPLES OF THE DIVINE MASTER
60 Sunset Ave., Staten Island, NY 10314
Tel. (718) 494-8597 // (718) 761-2323
Website: WWW.PDDM.US