3rd Sunday of Lent
Cycle A
Do you understand what you believe? Do you believe what you
understand?
Jesus challenged the woman at the well on this. She had
questioned his nationalism. "How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan
woman, for a drink?" She questioned his veracity. "Sir, you do not
even have a bucket and the cistern is deep; where
then can you get this living water?” She questioned his authority. “Are you
greater than our ancestor Jacob?” She questioned his piety. “Our ancestors
worshiped on this mountain; but
you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem." To Jesus, none
of that mattered. She needed to understand.
If you only knew who was sitting here with you and to whom
you are speaking. And he proceeded to open her eyes.
It is through reason that we understand with the head. It is
through prayer and contemplation and worship that we understand with the heart.
If all you have is book learning then your faith has no motivation. If all you
have is emotion, your faith has no roots. It is like the person Jesus said
builds his house on sand. When trials and tribulations blow there is no
conviction there to keep it from being torn down.
Conviction comes from the heart. Why is it that sports teams
that have the most talent do not always win the championship? Every player
knows the rules of the game, and all of them possess great skills. It is what
is in the heart that makes them champions. It is the heart that gives them the
strength and courage to go further, to excel, to conquer in the face of great
adversity.
The woman at the well was faithful to her understanding of
her beliefs, but that alone would not ensure her salvation. It was not until
she had a conversation with her God, one to one, face to face, did she begin to
understand. And that conversation was brutal and honest. It brought into the
light what had been going on in the darkness.
I think it’s the same with many people today, maybe even with
most people today. Why do you worship the way you do? Why are you Catholic and
what do you really understand about your faith? How much have you studied what
your Church teaches you? How much time have you spent in contemplation and
prayer to try to ascertain why those teachings are necessary for your life? How
has that brought you face-to-face with Jesus? Are you inspired by your beliefs?
Do they change you? Do they change the people around you?
I think we cradle Catholics oftentimes worship out of a sense
of obligation or fear or habit, without ever trying to understand the what or
the why. When you come here on Sunday, do you really listen to the readings as
they are being proclaimed? Is that the only time in your week that you
experience the scriptures? Is the weekly homily the only time you think about
what the scriptures are trying to tell you, to change you? Do you fully
participate in the Mass every Sunday? Is this the only time you pray?
I think the reason I am Catholic is that I have studied and
contemplated my faith and it makes sense to me. It’s reasonable. I believe I
have a good understanding of what I believe and therefore can see its relevance
in my life and its place in the world. I can also explain it to others in a
logical way. But that only takes me so far. Like the woman at the well, once
she gained a better understanding of who the person before her was, she was
able to not only change her own behavior, but bring others to Christ.
I’ve said many times before that unless you can internalize
the intellectual you cannot make it personal. Unless you have an actual
encounter with Jesus yourself all you will have is a bunch of knowledge.
Knowledge and understanding can help stoke the fire within you, but it is not
the fire itself. Knowledge does not drive people to be greater than they were.
Knowledge is only the starting point for conversion.
It takes looking into the very eyes of your Savior.
The apostles had a good understanding of their faith, but
what compelled them to leave hearth and home and become the most influential
human beings in history was their personal relationship with Jesus. He was not
just an intellectual exercise to them. He was their friend and brother.
For
over 25 years I have had the privilege of walking alongside hundreds of adults
who have answered the call to become Catholic. Each of them has a unique story
of their call. Some are dramatic. Some have gone through some horrific
experiences. Some have battled some pretty strong demons. But all have one
thing in common: they all were looking for that personal encounter with God.
Something had called them to the Church, but it wasn’t until they experienced
the touch of Jesus that they felt they had made the right decision. It wasn’t
until then that they felt at home.
We
may call these encounters conversion experiences, and they are, but for most of
us our conversions are much more subtle. We encounter God in the stuff or our
everyday lives, many, many times, and each encounter requires a response from
us to God’s outreach.
Most
of us experience God in the simple things all around us. A newborn child, a
lover’s kiss, the awesome beauty of a landscape, a sunrise or sunset. Most of
us don’t have life shattering encounters with our God. Most of us encounter Him
in countless little ways throughout the days of our lives. I think actually
those encounters are the most lasting and the strongest. Because they build
upon one another.
You
know what we call these daily encounters with God? Grace. Grace is simply God
touching our lives in some way. Sometimes His grace is strong and obvious, like
on your wedding day or when you held your firstborn for the first time.
Sometimes it hits you over the head like a rock. We can be shaken when we
encounter God for the first time. It can be life-changing and can re-direct our
lives in ways we never imagined.
Has
that ever happened to you? Has something soul-shaking ever happened to you? I often
see it in families who have suffered the sudden loss of a loved one, or who
have sickness thrust upon them. Times like that force us to focus on the fact
that we are ultimately not in control of our lives, no matter how much we want
to believe that. But what usually happens is that when we finally release our
grip God takes over.
Lent
is the perfect time to encounter the risen Christ. How have you been preparing
for that encounter? Have you taken the time to pray, fast and give alms this
Lenten season? Have you taken advantage of the most awesome example of God’s
grace, to see the Lord face-to-face in the confessional? You see, the most
obvious result of saying yes to God’s call is to change your life. We are all
called to repentance, each and every day. Conversion requires repentance. We
must first see ourselves for who we truly are, coldly and honestly, before we
can accept the burning fire of God’s love in our lives.
And
while that conversion experience is a very personal one, it will also affect
those around you. Like the woman at the well, once she said yes she changed. She
changed her view of herself, she changed her view of God, and she then went out
and changed the world.
Will you do the same?
