V.J.E.
Praised be Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament!
This Lent, we will be sharing reflections by our Sisters on Ash Wednesday and each of the Sundays of Lent. Our hope is that the fruit of our Sisters’ prayer may bless you as we journey through Lent seeking greater intimacy with Jesus each of the forty days.
This reflection is written by Sr. Raquel of the Holy Spirit Gutierrez, HMSS on the readings for the Third Sunday of Lent.
Drinking from the Fountain of Eternity
Jesus said to her, “give me a drink.” Again, Jesus says something in the Gospel that does not make sense in that particular setting within that time period. Jews and Samaritans did not get along. Jesus, a Jew, reaches out to the Samaritan woman. Again, Jesus breaks the mold of fallen ways of thinking and living in order to offer the Samaritan woman the best kind of drink; salvation. He stoops down, expressing a need on his part (later in this Gospel of John he will say “I thirst” while on the Cross, expressing a desire for love, union, and the salvation of souls). He uses the common need for water as an example to portray a great, deeper reality. The common need of drinking water for the body to stay hydrated is like the soul partaking in the life in the Spirit that wells up to eternal life; the life that God so desires for us, even right now on this side of eternity.
How can we drink from this fountain that Jesus offers us? How can we worship God in Spirit and Truth? Here are some ways of receiving from the eternal fountain.
- Daily Mass. If you have the ability to go to Mass every day, this will transform your life! By receiving the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Our Savior and being nourished by his Word, and receiving a message of his truth from the priest’s homily, you will drink from the eternal fountain! The fruits from going to daily Mass will flow from you and will hydrate others in the spiritual life.
- Daily Prayer. Time for personal and family prayer are very important. Set a time every day to pray on your own. Have real conversations with Jesus, opening up your heart, sharing your praises, desires, and petitions to Him. Talk to Jesus as you would your best friend. You can also pray with a passage from Sacred Scripture. Additionally, set a time to pray the rosary daily with your family or friends. Other ideas include: establishing a daily car prayer when leaving your home, asking God for protection for your travels, and ending the day with night prayer. You can include the Examen, which helps you look at your day in light of God’s love. Lastly, frequenting the Sacrament of Confession will help keep your prayer and relationship with God healthy, helping to keep the fountain of graces flowing in and through you.
- Community. Staying connected to other Catholics that are striving for holiness is important. Others, committed to live Christocentric lives of discipleship, call us higher and hold us accountable to live a lifestyle pleasing to Jesus. Solid friends in Christ become a fountain of nourishment for us especially in those moments of spiritual desolation. Even Jesus sent his disciples out for mission two by two.
Are you thirsty?