Pastor's Letter 20200315 - 15 March 2020 - Living Water

[Father Michael]

15 March 2020: Third Sunday of Lent

A Message from Father †Michael

Today’s Theme:

“Living Water”

Scripture Note

Wells and watering places have a particularly significant meaning among people living in arid regions.  After a drought, water miraculously restores life to a desert-like earth and revives humans, animals and plants alike, rescuing them from death. For this reason, the prophets and sages of the Old Testament often spoke of “living water” to signify the gifts that would flow when the Messiah finally came.  (Zechariah 14:8; Ezekiel 47:8-10.)   This played out for the Israelites during their 40-year journey through the desert. Through the agency of Moses, God provided them with the life-saving gift of ordinary water (in spite of their ingratitude) (Exodus 17:3-7.)    

 In the figure of “the new Moses,” Jesus gives His people some infinitely better “living water,” to mean a share in the very life of God.  In today’s Gospel we hear again His very touching encounter with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well (John 4:5-42.)  We can imagine, as Jesus came upon the woman, that He recalled the Scriptural tradition that the Messiah would be the source of a kind of water that would sustain a person’s life, eternally.  As the promised Messiah, Jesus mission was to“ do the Father’s Will” and “to accomplish His work” (John 4:34;) and the “work” the Father had given Him was to “give eternal life to all people” (John 17:2.)  This undoubtedly would have occupied Jesus’ thoughts as the Samaritan woman approached the well. Thereupon, as He approached her gently, with patience and love, He didn't force Himself into her life.  (There is a world of difference between asking people for a key to their house, and battering down their door!)  His encounter with her was one of sincere respect, without judgment or condemnation.  

 Loved in our Sins

At the heart of the Good News we find the very endearing message:  “We are loved in our sins.”  The holier a person becomes, the less likely they are to judge others. Jesus showed us this when He looked into the Samaritan woman’s heart, accepting and understanding her. Jesus showed an effective method we could use to see into someone’s heart—the part of every person that longs for pure love—seeing them not as an “object” but as a distinct individual.  

Christ meets each of us exactly “as we are.”  He knows our deeper thirst—that of the heart which ultimately only He can quench. For this deeper thirst we need another kind of “water,” that which Jesus said He could give.  His message to us is the same as to the woman: “If you only knew the gift God wants to give you”—the life of God “bubbling” into eternal life.  

Most of us find it difficult to admit our poverty, weakness and sins.  In our competitive, judgmental world, such a disclosure might even have deleterious consequences, in some instances.  So we remain guarded and cautious with all but a very select few people—those in whom we put our sincere trust.  It doesn’t do us much good, however, to be thought of as “perfect.” In fact, it is only when we are vulnerable, and open, is it possible for us to receive true empathy and compassion. (This is the aim of most capable psychology professionals—to get us to “let down our guard,” and discuss those things that deeply affect us.)  Only those who have experienced love in their exposed weakness truly know how precious it can be.  Being loved like that gives us surprising courage and energy, putting us in touch with our true natures—like a wonderful “homecoming.”  

 Finding our Own Well

We know how pathetic it is when people become dependent on material handouts.  For such people there is limited development and growth…only stagnation (and in all probability, regression, as well.)  Dependency has a corrosive effect, eroding pride and self-respect. We’ve all said what people need isn’t a “handout,” but a “hand-up.”  People can become spiritually dependent, as well, and this is also pathetic….

Throughout our lives, most of us have received years of education and spiritual formation of one kind or another—with attendant, caring teachers and spiritual guides.  Through them we have discovered wells of knowledge, drawn from their own, or others’ experiences.  If we have also learned to find our own way into the deeper recesses of the unknown, to discover for ourselves where the true wealth of information lies—our education will have been successful and enriching.  However, if we only were exposed to “memorizing the answers,” in order to parrot them back on some examination, we will have gained only a cursory, often fleeting appreciation for those subjects we have studied.   Some teachers and spiritual leaders attempt to fill others from their own abundance. This can be good, up to a point--showing what riches are available--but it can easily result in making students dependent on their teachers, and content to accept “didactic welfare.”  (While I was actively teaching, I made a point to inform my students that I didn’t have “all the answers.”  “However, (I said,) I do know where they live!”  My purpose was not only to expose them to basic principles of the subject matter, but entice them to become hungry for the vast resources that lay beyond the lessons, and discover them for themselves.)  

 From time to time the wells of our souls need to be cleansed of all things earthly, that prevent us from encountering Christ in the routine of our lives—something Jesus loves to do for every one of us.  Christ’s purpose is first to awaken us to our need and then show us the never-ending source for spiritual fulfillment that He can provide.  He showed us how to fill our emptiness, not from without, but within that inner well that lies deep in our souls—the Spirit of God in each one of us.  Once we find that, we won’t have to continually run “here, there and everywhere” in search of spiritual nourishment.  Once we believe this well is truly there, we will discover it is unfailing. 

 Taking It All In

The usual response I hear to a  concept like our theme, today—“Living Water”—is that it is “quite conceptual,” or “too spiritual” or some such response indicating it's lack of everyday relevance for most people.  They postulate that once you get past the actual “need for water” shared by all living things, it has little significance on a practical level.  (All right…I’ll stipulate that we are in an existential realm, here.)  When we read the story of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman we immediately find several contradictory concepts as regards modern life.  The majority of us no longer have to get our water from a common well. And, in western societies, there are few truly stratified communities that mirror the one in this story.  Aside from that, however, we all have "predispositions" toward various people that would preclude our associating with them on a regular basis.  Our mobile society allows us to pick and choose those with whom we associate, for the most part.  Then, too, we hardly ever expose ourselves to the heartfelt conversation similar to that which Jesus had with the woman, as a matter of course--except with our closest confidants—and then, only on rare occasions.  (I’ll admit there may be some gender bias in that statement, vis-à-vis the way that groups of men and groups of women share intimacies.)  

Nonetheless, we all have similar needs to the ones discussed herein, and as we progress towards our inevitable end on this earth, our death, they become more important.  It’s just that we are loath to think about them on a regular basis, amid the normal concerns of everyday life.  Eschatological, or “End times” conversations are not enjoyable topics for the vast milieu, due, in part, to the “uncertainty factor” (And, who could blame us?  That’s not a word that readily comes to mind—nor a thought that is pleasant, in any event.)

If we proceed with the assumption that, as Christians, we follow Jesus’ commands to love God and our neighbor, it follows that our assessment of our progress toward our eternal reward must become our concern, from time to time.  (That is why we regularly attend Mass, or some worship service, study Scripture,--at least in a tacit manner, if not formally--and, well...pray for guidance.)  By concentrating on the Spirit within us, the “Pneuma,” the “breath of God, from Which we have life, that periodic quest for inspiration will bear fruit.  For some, that might mean ardent meditation rituals, koan-like repetitive prayers (i.e. the Rosary,) novenas, retreats and the like.  For others, “occasional” might best describe their spiritual pursuits.  

But the fact that we actually “do” something along those lines would indicate we feel the need for inner peace and tranquility.   And when Jesus told the woman her innermost secrets, He was demonstrating her need for their resolution—albeit in a dramatic fashion. Most of us would look at this and say He exposed her “baggage,” in modern parlance.  It does a person good to consider how much of our lives are spent on seemingly pressing issues from our past.  (That is why there are all those ads on our computers asking us if they are “too slow” due to the accumulation of useless “stuff.”)  When we take the time to orient ourselves with the principles we espouse, such an inventory will be beneficial.  And given a proper prioritizing, we can divest ourselves of some possibly harmful concerns.  

In that sense, the plea to “Come to the Water,” in regards to accepting of Christ’s saving grace, is one to which we all need to respond.   

May God Richly Bless You!

 

“When I come to the end of all the light that I have, and step into the darkness beyond,

 I must believe one of two things:  there will be something solid for me upon which to stand, 

Or God will teach me to fly.”  (Alpha Legg^†1995)

Come, Let us Sing II.docx

Come, Let Us Sing II.mp3

 

Edited March 22, 2020 by Father Michael