Receiving New Life

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to be alert to the prompting of the Spirit to action that will bring New Life to people whom we encounter on our journey.

Encounter Living Water

The reading from the Book of Exodus describes testing the Lord.

* [17:7] Massah…Meribah: Hebrew words meaning, respectively, “the place of the test” and “the place of strife, of quarreling.” (Exodus, CHAPTER 17, n.d.)

Psalm 95 is a Call to Worship and Obedience.

* [Psalm 95] Twice the Psalm calls the people to praise and worship God (Ps 95:1–2, 6), the king of all creatures (Ps 95:3–5) and shepherd of the flock (Ps 95:7a, 7b). The last strophe warns the people to be more faithful than were their ancestors in the journey to the promised land (Ps 95:7c–11). This invitation to praise God regularly opens the Church’s official prayer, the Liturgy of the Hours (Psalms, PSALM 95, n.d.)

The reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans proclaims the results of Justification.

* [5:1–11] Popular piety frequently construed reverses and troubles as punishment for sin; cf. Jn 9:2. Paul therefore assures believers that God’s justifying action in Jesus Christ is a declaration of peace. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ displays God’s initiative in certifying humanity for unimpeded access into the divine presence. Reconciliation is God’s gift of pardon to the entire human race. Through faith one benefits personally from this pardon or, in Paul’s term, is justified. The ultimate aim of God is to liberate believers from the pre-Christian self as described in Rom 1–3. Since this liberation will first find completion in the believer’s resurrection, salvation is described as future in Rom 5:10. Because this fullness of salvation belongs to the future it is called the Christian hope. Paul’s Greek term for hope does not, however, suggest a note of uncertainty, to the effect: “I wonder whether God really means it.” Rather, God’s promise in the gospel fills believers with expectation and anticipation for the climactic gift of unalloyed commitment in the holy Spirit to the performance of the will of God. The persecutions that attend Christian commitment are to teach believers patience and to strengthen this hope, which will not disappoint them because the holy Spirit dwells in their hearts and imbues them with God’s love (Rom 5:5). (Romans, CHAPTER 5, n.d.)

In the Gospel of John, Jesus encounters the Samaritan woman at the well.

* [4:1–42] Jesus in Samaria. The self-revelation of Jesus continues with his second discourse, on his mission to “half-Jews.” It continues the theme of replacement, here with regard to cult (Jn 4:21). Water (Jn 4:7–15) serves as a symbol (as at Cana and in the Nicodemus episode). (John, CHAPTER 4, n.d.)

Larry Gillick S.J. comments that the Word, the Life and the Light are offering a new way of her seeing herself and she hears, receives and returns having a changed vision of herself, her identity, her dignity. She leaves her old water jar and returns inviting other villagers to “come see: a man Who has given her a new sight of belief in Him and herself. Where is Lent for us in all this?

Well, the women of the village usually came to the well very early in the morning. This woman was excluded from that water brigade, because of her multi-marriage life style. Jesus addresses her first and by doing so begins helping her see herself, because of His being the Light. As mentioned, she leaves behind her old jar, (identity) and returns with a new “water welling up to eternal Life”. 

Whatever we are giving up or away this Lent, whatever “jar”, it seems that it is Lent if letting it go allows for more going out, going into, bringing Light, Life and Jesus into community rather than doing a penance just for ourselves. The old “jar” is the symbol for our old image which keeps us less relational. Jesus as Light shines upon our whole self, not just our darkness. Jesus invites rather than indicts and this leads us to Easter! (Gillick, 2023)

Don Schwager quotes “The Living Water of the Spirit,” by John Chrysostom, 347-407 AD.

Sometimes Scripture calls the grace of the Spirit "fire," other times it calls it "water." In this way, it shows that these names are not descriptive of its essence but of its operation. For the Spirit, which is invisible and simple, cannot be made up of different substances... In the same way that he calls the Spirit by the name of "fire," alluding to the rousing and warming property of grace and its power of destroying sins, he calls it "water" in order to highlight the cleansing it does and the great refreshment it provides those minds that receive it. For it makes the willing soul like a kind of garden, thick with all kinds of fruitful and productive trees, allowing it neither to feel despondency nor the plots of Satan. It quenches all the fiery darts of the wicked one. (HOMILIES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 32.1) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Romans 5:1-2, 5-8 comments on the type of “helplessness” that St. Paul is talking about in our first reading. He’s saying that Jesus didn’t wait for us to help ourselves out of sin; he gave us his help by dying on the cross for us. He offered his mercy even before we asked for it! This sounds a bit like the father of the prodigal son in yesterday’s Gospel, doesn’t it? The story of the Samaritan woman in today’s Gospel shows this principle in action as well.

But Jesus came to her in all that helplessness and offered her the water of life. He didn’t wait for her to get her act together. He didn’t wait for her to seek him out. He came to her and engaged with her. He gave her hope that her life could change, that she could be saved, and that she could be restored. Simply put, in her helplessness, Jesus helped her.

He can do that for you, too! Even now, Jesus wants to help you, even if you don’t think of yourself as “helpless.” He sees your need, and he has just the right amount of grace and love to fill that need. So let Jesus come to you and help you today.

“Jesus, I need you!” (Meditation on Romans 5:1-2, 5-8, n.d.)

Sarah Young, a member of the Spirituality Coordinating Team for the Jesuits in Britain, asks “What can we learn from the Samaritan woman at the well, and her encounter with Jesus, about forming the Church of the future?”

One characteristic of Jesus that we would do well to imitate today is his hospitality.[4] This quality is particularly evident in Jesus’s meeting with the Samaritan woman. As someone with no home in which to receive people, his hospitality took a creative form: he hosted them on their home ground. In visiting them, he entered their concrete reality. They were invited to receive him, not him receiving them. There was often an edginess to the encounter, as with the Samaritan woman. Jesus challenged the usual rules of social engagement. He crossed boundaries and encouraged his followers to do the same. He actively removed the obstacles to the growth of the kingdom of God. The psychologist and Anglican priest Joanna Collicutt suggests that, ‘part of having the mind of Christ is to see the kingdom in the behaviour of people around us.’  In visiting people, Collicutt says, Jesus was engaging in ‘subtle strength spotting’. He declares they are worthy of being at the table. They are encouraged to rise to the occasion. God is at work in their lives already. Like the Samaritan woman, they have much to offer a community of faith. (Young, 2018)

Friar Jude Winkler offers a detailed exegesis of the symbolism and history behind Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman after noting both the grace and displeasure expressed by God at Meribah and our peace with God through faith as expressed by Paul. Friar Jude underlines that only love can bring people to conversion.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, features Author and interspiritual teacher Megan Don who introduces the Spanish mystic Teresa of Ávila (1515–1582) as an exemplar of action and contemplation. From a place of peace and inner authority, Teresa worked to return the Carmelite order to its original emphasis on prayer, poverty, and simplicity, going on to found seventeen new convents and monasteries.

Contrary to popular belief, the pinnacle of the mystical life is often lived in the world, even though it is not of the world. Having come into a full consciousness of the reality of existence, the mystic is now returned to society, displaying an extraordinary energy for the work required. This energy is none other than the divine force working in and through this willing worker of the Beloved, and it far surpasses anything we human beings can do alone. Teresa’s life is one such example of a person in and through whom the Beloved worked, and throughout her life she reiterated that the ultimate purpose of the sacred marriage [or union with God] is to give birth to good works in the world. [2] (Rohr, n.d.)

We encounter the Life of the Spirit in unexpected places with people who grow in faith and hope as we journey together.

References

Exodus, CHAPTER 17. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved March 12, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/exodus/17?3 

Gillick, L. (2023, March 12). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved March 12, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/031223.html 

John, CHAPTER 4. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved March 12, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/4?5 

Meditation on Romans 5:1-2, 5-8. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved March 12, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/03/12/629741/ 

Psalms, PSALM 95. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved March 12, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/95?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Richard Rohr. Retrieved March 12, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/prayer-leads-to-purpose-2023-03-12/ 

Romans, CHAPTER 5. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved March 12, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/romans/5?1 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). A Spring of Water Welling up to Eternal Life. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 12, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=mar12 

Young, S. (2018, March 2). Learning from the woman at the well. Thinking Faith. Retrieved March 12, 2023, from https://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/learning-woman-well 

Grace and Truth in the Flesh

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to recall the progress we have made in our transformation as followers of Christ in deeper experience of grace and truth in the past year.

Reflect on the Journey

The reading from the First Letter of John is a warning against Antichrists.

* [2:18] It is the last hour: literally, “a last hour,” the period between the death and resurrection of Christ and his second coming. The antichrist: opponent or adversary of Christ; the term appears only in 1 John–2 John, but “pseudochrists” (translated “false messiahs”) in Mt 24:24 and Mk 13:22, and Paul’s “lawless one” in 2 Thes 2:3, are similar figures. Many antichrists: Matthew, Mark, and Revelation seem to indicate a collectivity of persons, here related to the false teachers.

* [2:19] Not really of our number: the apostate teachers only proved their lack of faith by leaving the community.

* [2:20] The anointing that comes from the holy one: this anointing is in the Old Testament sense of receiving the Spirit of God. The holy one probably refers to Christ. True knowledge is the gift of the Spirit (cf. Is 11:2), and the function of the Spirit is to lead Christians to the truth (Jn 14:17, 26; 16:13).

* [2:22–23] Certain gnostics denied that the earthly Jesus was the Christ; to deny knowledge of the Son is to deny the Father, since only through the Son has God been fully revealed (Jn 1:18; 14:8–9).

* [2:24] Continuity with the apostolic witness as proclaimed in the prologue is the safeguard of right belief. (1 John, CHAPTER 2, n.d.)

Psalm 96 praises God Who Comes in Judgement.

* [Psalm 96] A hymn inviting all humanity to praise the glories of Israel’s God (Ps 96:1–3), who is the sole God (Ps 96:4–6). To the just ruler of all belongs worship (Ps 96:7–10); even inanimate creation is to offer praise (Ps 96:11–13). This Psalm has numerous verbal and thematic contacts with Is 40–55, as does Ps 98. Another version of the Psalm is 1 Chr 16:23–33. (Psalms, PSALM 96, n.d.)

The Prologue to the Gospel of John proclaims the Word Became Flesh.

* [1:1–18] The prologue states the main themes of the gospel: life, light, truth, the world, testimony, and the preexistence of Jesus Christ, the incarnate Logos, who reveals God the Father. In origin, it was probably an early Christian hymn. Its closest parallel is in other christological hymns, Col 1:15–20 and Phil 2:6–11. Its core (Jn 1:1–5, 10–11, 14) is poetic in structure, with short phrases linked by “staircase parallelism,” in which the last word of one phrase becomes the first word of the next. Prose inserts (at least Jn 1:6–8, 15) deal with John the Baptist. (John, CHAPTER 1, n.d.)

David Crawford wants to focus solely on the Gospel reading, a favorite of his.  Is there any more glorious news than that the God, Who was, is and ever shall be, came to earth for us?

The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us, and we saw His glory, the glory of the Father’s only-begotten Son, full of grace and truth. (verse 14)

From his fullness we have all received . . . grace and truth through Jesus Christ.  (verses 16-17)

We who have accepted Christ have been given “the power to become the children of God.” (verse 12) (John, CHAPTER 1, n.d.)

None of us knows what 2023 holds for us, but David encourages each of us to resolve to commit our lives to giving our best and our all to following our Lord, to serving Him by serving others, and to glorifying God in all that we do.

Loving God, thank you for the many times you blessed us this past year.  Be especially close to those who are filled with pain, fear, want and loneliness.  May our resolutions be to follow you, to serve you by serving others, and to use our best gifts – talents, skills, and resources – to glorify you. (Crawford, 2022)

Don Schwager quotes “The first-fruits of the Gospels,” by Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD).

"I think that John's Gospel, which you have enjoined us to examine to the best of our ability, is the first-fruits of the Gospels. It speaks of him whose descent is traced and begins from him who is without a genealogy... The greater and more perfect expressions concerning Jesus are reserved for the one who leaned on Jesus' breast. For none of the other Gospels manifested his divinity as fully as John when he presented him saying, 'I am the light of the world' (John 8:42), 'I am the way and the truth and the life' (John 14:6), 'I am the resurrection' (John 11:25), 'I am the door' (John 10:9), 'I am the good shepherd' (John 10:11)... We might dare say then that the Gospels are the first-fruits of all Scripture but that the first-fruits of the Gospels is that according to John whose meaning no one can understand who has not leaned on Jesus' breast or received Mary from Jesus to be his mother also." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 1.21-23) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on John 1:1-18 comments on the “power to become children of God” that Jesus gives to everyone who accepts him (John 1:12). It’s heavenly power, the divine grace to help us do what we could never do on human energy alone. It’s the power to obey, the grace to forgive, and the inspiration to serve.

This New Year’s Eve, take some time to listen for God’s voice. Tell him, “Lord, I dedicate this year to you. Give me a focus for 2023.” He may bring a Scripture verse to mind, or he may impress a specific word on your heart, like “grace,” “boldness,” “patience,” or “peace.” Write that word or that verse someplace where you can find it, and revisit it over the coming months. As you walk through the year, see how this word applies to your life. And when you come to New Year’s Eve next year, look back and see how you have grown and how that one word or verse has opened your heart to the Lord more. Then rejoice because you are taking on Jesus’ image even more—all because of his power at work in you!

“Jesus, I welcome your work in me this coming year. I want this year to be a time of growth in my journey with you.” (Meditation on John 1:1-18, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler notes the importance of the heresy of the Docetists in the passage from 1 John concerning anti Christs. He shares an exegesis of the Prologue of the Gospel of John and reflects on the Word and the Logos. Friar Jude reminds us that Jesus, Wisdom Incarnate, resonates the qualities attributed to Yahweh of hesed and emet in grace and truth.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, draws the year to a close with a poetic reminder that nothing stands alone. He presents the poem “I Am” by Dedan Gills (1945–2015). 

I am old and wise as the night. I am as beautiful as a bird in flight.

I am the moon and the sea. I am the robin and the bee. I am the soil and I am the tree.

I’m the lion and the gazelle. I am heaven and I am hell. I am the ring and I am the bell.

I am the joy and I am the tear. I am the brave and I am the fear.

I am the blistering desert. I’m the freezing snow.

I’m the cringing coward and the gentle hero.

I’m the aged and I am the young. I am the weak and I am the strong.

I am the smile and I am the frown. I am the pauper and I am the crown.

I am the wrong and I am the right. I am the day and I am the night.

I am now and I am never. I am yesterday and I am forever.

I am the bitter and I am the sweet. I live on the hill and I live on the street.

I am the top and I am the bottom. I am Martin, Hitler, Gandhi, and Saddam.

I am red, black, yellow, brown, and white. I love, hate, laugh, cry, and fight.

All the universe is reflected in me. I am all that ever was and ever will be.

When I lose, it’s the lesson that I win. Judging others is my sin. (Rohr, 2022)

We are inspired to begin the new year with the promise of fullness of life in relation to the Word made flesh.

References

Crawford, D. (2022, December 31). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved December 31, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/123122.html 

John, CHAPTER 1. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved December 31, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/1?1 

Meditation on John 1:1-18. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved December 31, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/12/31/570606/ 

1 John, CHAPTER 2. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved December 31, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1john/2?18 

Psalms, PSALM 96. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved December 31, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/96?1 

Rohr, R. (2022, December 31). Summary: Nothing Stands Alone: Weekly Summary — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved December 31, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/summary-nothing-stands-alone-weekly-summary/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). The Word Became Flesh and Dwelt among Us. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved December 31, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=dec31