3

RD
SUNDAY OF
LENT A
March 12, 2023

Greetings!

FIRST READING
Our First
Reading for this
Sunday is taken
from the Book of
Exodus.
 Let us reflect
about THE
UNFAILING
GRACE OF GOD.
God’s grace
never fails His
people.
We see in the
first reading the
hardships of the
people ISRAEL AS
THEY WERE
WONDERING IN
THE DESERT.
Their big problem
is water. (Thirst)
We understand
them. Even
outside the desert,
if we are thirsty, we
become
RESTLESS.
Human
EXISTENCE rests
depend on the
AVAILABILITY OF
CLEAN RUNNING
WATER.
And so we
understand the
grumbling
(complaints) of the
people to Moses
who led them out
of Egypt. Who
promised them a
better life.
They are ANGRY
to Moses. And
underneath this
anger, was really
their resistance to
God. In fact, the
question was, “IS
GOD IN OUR
MIDST, OR NOT?”
 It was not a
repudiation
(rejection) of
Moses, but it is of
GOD!
Why did God
inspire Moses to let
us out of Egypt?
Yes, there was
suffering there but
WE ENJOYED
FOOD. We have
work, but there
was WATER.
THERE WAS LIFE,
EVEN IF THERE IS
AN INDIGNITY.
MOSES turned
to God, “What will I
do to this people?”
They might stone
me to death. They
might kill me.
 “You have your
staff, use it now,
strike the stone to
let water come out
and let the people
drink.”
LOOK AT THE
GRACIOUSNESS
OF GOD!
The GOD WHO
ALWAYS SEE
SOMETHING
GOOD EVEN IN
PEOPLE WHO ARE
TURNING
AGAINST GOD.
THE GOD WHO
IS ALWAYS
STRETCHES HIS
UNDERSTANDING
AND
COMPASSION.
AND EVEN WITH
THE HURT HURLD
AROUND HIM,
GOD RESPONDED
TO THE NEEDS
OF HIS PEOPLE.
“GIVE THEM
WATER”.
IN FACT, it was
Moses who gave
them water, it was
God who made the
water flow.
 This is
GRACIOUSNESS,
even if people
disliked you, you
respond to their
needs. You
address their real
need. You show
love. That is OUR
GOD! His
GRACIOUSNESS
NEVER FAILS.
SECOND READING
Our Second
Reading this
Sunday comes
from the letter of
Paul to the
Romans.
“THE GRACE OF
GOD THAT
NEVER FAILS”
 Enduring love…
enduring grace
even to people
who are
undeserving.
GOD REMAINS
GRACIOUS!
This is the same
theme that Paul
reminds us of.
And he highlights
the constant love,
constant
graciousness of
God.
God showed us
his love when we
were sinners. We
were powerless
before sin. It
seems that we are
powerless over
sin. It seems that
SIN has an upper
hand controlling
us. But in that
sorry/miserable
state of our
POWERLESSNES
S before SIN, God
loved us. Jesus
died for us. And
he says, even in
ordinary life, it is
not easy to die for
a good man. Even
for a just person,
it is not easy to
die. But Jesus,
offered something
more, even when
we were SINNERS,
Jesus died for us.
We do not
DESERVED such
an outpouring of
LOVE! But it is
true. And now,
that love called
the HOLY SPIRIT
is poured into our
HEARTS. That
Love is abiding.
Even when we do
not deserve it.
This gives us
hope. And our
hope is not just a
pigment of the
imagination. That
hope is real. It will
not disappoint us.
Because that hope
is founded on that
GRACE THAT
NEVER FAILS. As
shown to us by
the willingness of
Jesus, who is
willing to die for
those who do not
deserve. THE
GRAE OF GOD
NEVER FAILS.
The GRACE OF
GOD cannot be
matched. But we
are saved, we are
better off because
of that GRACE.

GOSPEL
Our Gospel for
this Sunday
comes from Saint
John.
We have this
familiar story of
the meeting
between Jesus
and the
Samaritan woman
at the well of
Jacob in Sychar at
noon!
 We will see this
simple encounter
as a moment of
GRACE THAT
NEVER FAILS. A
GRACE THAT
ENDURES. A
GRACE THAT
SURPRISES this
Samaritan
woman.
Everything was
getting against
this Samaritan
woman.
1. She is a
Samaritan
woman. And at
that time, the
Samaritans and
the Jews were
bitter rivals. The
Jews considered
that Samaritans
 almost like
pagans. Almost
unbelievers. And
so, they would
not even dare use
things that the
Samaritans have
already used.
2. She is a woman
and at that time,
the women even
among the Jews
will never get
near a woman.
But now this is a
Samaritan
woman. Her
status was
considered quite
low. As the story
unfolds, she has
had seven (7)
husbands. A
questionable
family life and so,
a questionable
character. A
questionable
style of life and
integrity of life.
So all of these
things, but Jesus
communicates
with her. Jesus
initiates a
conversation
with her. And
that turned her
life upside down.
She could not
believe that a Jew
will talk to a
Samaritan. She
could not believe
that a Jewish
man would deal
with a Samaritan
woman. She
could not believe
that this person
knew her. Her
heart and her
past were not
hidden from him.
And he led her to
what is essential,
not worshiping
God in this
mountain or that
mountain. But in
spirit and truth,
and slowly
revealing to her
who he was. “Sir,
are you a prophet
or are you a
messiah?” Who is
this Samaritan?
Who is this
woman? Who is
this person of
questionable
integrity? To be
reworded with
those PRECIOUS
MOMENTS OF
ENCOUNTER
WITH THE
MESSIAH---
WITH THE SON
OF GOD? What
blessing?! What
grace undeserved
but it was meant
for her. It was for
her. THE GRACE
OF GOD will
never disappoint
of fail. She ran to
her people. She
became an
apostle of Jesus.
Telling them, “I
met this special
person. A
prophet, maybe
the messiah that
the Jews have
been waiting for.
She knew me. He
loved me. He
respected me. I
felt blessed. That
GRACE OF AN
ENCOUNTER, IF
USED
ACCORDING TO
THE CRITERIA
OF WORLD,
WOULD NOT
HAVE BEEN
GIVEN TO THAT
WOMAN OF
UNDESERVING
OF GOD’S
GRACE. BUT
GOD WORKS
DIFFERENTLY.
AND ASSURES
EVERY BROKEN
PERSON, EVERY
NEGLECTED
PERSON, “MY
GRACE IS
ENOUGH FOR
YOU”. “MY
GRACE WILL
NOT FAIL YOU”.