Pastor’s Corner for the 3rd Sunday of Lent, Year A, by Rev. Fr. Rampeoane Hlobo SJ
Today being the third Sunday of Lent, we are now halfway through our Lenten journey. I believe that our Lenten observances (Prayer, Fasting and Alms Giving) are going well and not too difficult. Sometimes reaching the halfway mark of any undertaking, especially a difficult journey, can be encouraging or may just lead to cynical questions being raised. In our first reading, today it is the latter. We hear of a story of disgruntled and undoubtedly ingrate children of Israel who in their second month of their liberation, faced with challenges of their journey, started asking cynical questions as well.
Maybe for some of us this Lenten journey is beginning to take its toll as we enter the third week. Maybe some are growing weary of being kinder and more compassionate to others, weary of showing some love to those that you have been mean to and do not necessarily like. It is during this time when we call to mind and ponder on Paul’s words to the Romans that we heard in our second reading: “by faith and Jesus Christ we have entered this state of grace in which we can boast about looking forward to God’s glory.” Our faith and Jesus Christ not only sustain us during this time but make us beneficiaries of the love and grace of God that has been poured into our hearts.
At this point of our Lenten pilgrimage, we continue to plug the courage in total confidence in the love and graces poured upon us, we discard cynicism and embrace trust in the Lord who invites us not only to conversion, but to have faith in him as well. We continue to look deep into and reflect on our lives, so that we may be able to shed off those aspects of our lives that lead to doubt and ultimately incredulity. We pray for our own ‘Jacob’s well experience’ like the Samaritan woman. The kind of encounter with Jesus that will energise us to be able to take the good news to our acquaintances, families, communities and on social media platforms. Hopefully during this lent, through our evangelisation (Words and Actions), others may be led to have their own encounter that will consequently help them believe as it happened with the Samaritans through the woman who had that transformative encounter with Jesus Christ at the well.
May our Lenten journey continue to be blessed and to be a blessing to others, especially those that are less privileged than us.
