Daily Readings - Sun Mar 15 2020

³And so the people were thirsty in that place, due to the scarcity of water, and they murmured against Moses, saying: "Why did you cause us to go out of Egypt, so as to kill us and our children, as well as our cattle, with thirst?⁴Then Moses cried out to the Lord, saying: "What shall I do with this people? A little while more and they will stone me.⁵And the Lord said to Moses: "Go before the people, and take with you some of the elders of Israel. And take in your hand the staff, with which you struck the river, and advance⁶Lo, I will stand in that place before you, on the rock of Horeb. And you shall strike the rock, and water will go forth from it, so that the people may drink." Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel⁷And he called the name of that place ‘Temptation,’ because of the arguing of the sons of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying: "Is the Lord with us, or not?

Romans

Chapter 5

¹Therefore, having been justified by faith, let us be at peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ²For through him we also have access by faith to this grace, in which we stand firm, and to glory, in the hope of the glory of the sons of God⁵but hope is not unfounded, because the love of God is poured forth in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us⁶Yet why did Christ, while we were still infirm, at the proper time, suffer death for the impious⁷Now someone might barely be willing to die for the sake of justice, for example, perhaps someone might dare to die for the sake of a good man⁸But God demonstrates his love for us in that, while we were yet sinners, at the proper time

John

Chapter 4

⁵Therefore, he went into a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the estate which Jacob gave to his son Joseph⁶And Jacob’s well was there. And so Jesus, being tired from the journey, was sitting in a certain way on the well. It was about the sixth hour⁷A woman of Samaria arrived to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give me to drink.⁸For his disciples had gone into the city in order to buy food⁹And so, that Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, being a Jew, are requesting a drink from me, though I am a Samaritan woman?" For the Jews do not associate with the Samaritans¹⁰Jesus responded and said to her: "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who is saying to you, ‘Give me to drink,’ perhaps you would have made a request of him, and he would have given you living water.¹¹The woman said to him: "Lord, you do not have anything with which to draw water, and the well is deep. From where, then, do you have living water¹²Surely, you are not greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and who drank from it, with his sons and his cattle?¹³Jesus responded and said to her: "All who drink from this water will thirst again. But whoever shall drink from the water that I will give to him will not thirst for eternity¹⁴Instead, the water that I will give to him will become in him a fountain of water, springing up into eternal life.¹⁵The woman said to him, "Lord, give me this water, so that I may not thirst and may not come here to draw water.¹⁹The woman said to him: "Lord, I see that you are a Prophet²⁰Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, but you say that Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.²¹Jesus said to her: "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you shall worship the Father, neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem²²You worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know. For salvation is from the Jews²³But the hour is coming, and it is now, when true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth. For the Father also seeks such persons who may worship him²⁴God is Spirit. And so, those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.²⁵The woman said to him: "I know that the Messiah is coming (who is called the Christ). And then, when he will have arrived, he will announce everything to us.²⁶Jesus said to her: "I am he, the one who is speaking with you.³⁹Now many of the Samaritans from that city believed in him, because of the word of the woman who was offering testimony: "For he told me all the things that I have done.⁴⁰Therefore, when the Samaritans had come to him, they petitioned him to lodge there. And he lodged there for two days⁴¹And many more believed in him, because of his own word⁴²And they said to the woman: "Now we believe, not because of your speech, but because we ourselves have heard him, and so we know that he is truly the Savior of the world.

Sermon

In today’s readings, we encounter powerful reminders of God’s faithfulness and the transformative power of faith. The first reading from Exodus describes the Israelites’ thirst in the wilderness and their murmuring against Moses. Despite their doubt and impatience, God provides water from the rock, a sign of his providence and mercy. The second reading from Romans emphasizes the hope and love that flow from being justified by faith. Paul highlights how Christ’s death for us while we were still sinners demonstrates the depth of God’s love, a love that strengthens us in times of weakness. In the Gospel, Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well reveals his desire to quench our spiritual thirst with the living water of eternal life. The woman, moved by Jesus’ words, becomes a witness to her community, showing how faith can inspire others to seek the truth. These readings are deeply connected by the theme of trust in God’s plan, even when we face uncertainty or doubt. The Israelites in the wilderness, like the Samaritan woman, were at a crossroads of faith. They questioned God’s presence in their lives, yet God responded with grace and revelation. Similarly, Paul reminds us that Christ’s sacrifice for us sinners is the ultimate expression of God’s love, a love that gives us hope and strength. Jesus’ offer of living water invites us to look beyond the physical and material to the spiritual nourishment that only he can provide. Together, these readings call us to trust in God’s faithfulness and to open our hearts to the gift of his love. In our daily lives, these readings challenge us to reflect on our own faith and how we respond to challenges. Do we, like the Israelites, doubt God’s presence when we face difficulties? Or do we, like the Samaritan woman, allow God to reveal himself to us in unexpected ways? Jesus’ offer of living water reminds us that true fulfillment comes not from the world but from a deep relationship with him. Let us ask ourselves: Are we thirsting for God? Are we open to the ways he wants to quench that thirst? May we, like the Samaritan woman, encounter Jesus anew and share his love with others, trusting that he is indeed the Savior of the world.