Third Sunday of Lent

The opening prayer for today's liturgy has this wonderful sentence:
"When we are discouraged by our weakness, give us confidence in your love."

It is easy to get discouraged but God loves us and is waiting for us to turn to Him; discouragement has no place in our lives. This is easier said than done.
The Psalm response is "If today you hear his voice harden not your hearts."
We are, according to Psalm 95, to sing joyfully to the Lord; to come into his presence with thanksgiving and kneel before the God who made us. Why? "For he isour God, and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides."

In the second reading from Romans 5 we hear that "God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us."

The we have the Gospel telling us how Jesus approached the Samaritan woman. Jesus is tired. He is sitting at the well and waiting. She comes to draw water and is startled when Jesus, a Jew, ask her for a drink. Jesus tells her: "If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, 'Give me a drink', you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."
Jesus keeps the conversation going as he is interested in saving this woman. "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."
Jesus not only tells the woman that he is the Christ, but she goes to tell others and many of the Samaritans began to believe in him. He stayed with them for two days and they recognized him as "the savior of the world."

Anything can happen when we enter into a conversation with Jesus! Today is a good day to talk to him about what is happening in us during Lent. Are we discouraged? Are we tired? What are we thirsting for today? Are we able to sing joyfully to the Lord? Do we come into his presence with thanksgiving? Let us ask to hear his voice today and harden not our hearts."