3rd Sunday of Lent
“Okay,
God. So you got our attention with this
coronavirus. What do you ask of us?”
Homily #176: God thirsts for our faith”
“Okay, God. OK. So you got our attention. You got our attention with this coronavirus. What do you ask of us? How do you want us as People of Faith to reply to this?” These are common statements made or questions asked in recent weeks. While I am neither a public health expert nor a scientist nor a doctor, I am a deacon of the Church. And it is in that spiritual capacity that I will speak. People expect a moment of comfort and hope from the Word of God during this difficult time.
I
In today’s Gospel, Jesus had a long conversation with the woman at the well. You noticed how we stood for a very long time for a very long Gospel. [I actually read from the shorter form instead of the longer form.] Today’s Gospel is long because there is a conversation. This is also a lengthy back-and-forth conversation to show how God constantly thirsts in calling us, starting with Jesus describing himself as tired and thirsty.
And in the conversation, the woman at the well represents all of us who can bring a certain resistant tone to the conversation with God. When the deacon reads the Gospel, it is proclaimed in a calm liturgical tone. However, one may not pick up on the tone of voice in the dialogue, just like one may not pick up the tone of voice in a cell phone text or the tone of voice reading an email. It’s almost like pulling teeth from the woman at the well [in a sense in today’s Gospel]. As you know, sometimes, our own tone of voice is harsh or gentle. Sometimes, it is resistant or open. Sometimes it can be gentle or sarcastic. After Jesus tells her about the living water, I can imagine that she started with an almost rude tone of voice: Sir, you have nothing to draw the water? Are you really greater than our father Jacob?
We too can have an attitude with God: “Oh really, then give me this living water.” But nevertheless, God still pursues us, even with our resistant attitudes and tones and talking back to him. During Lent, we can easily slip into this complaining tone of voice. Oh, really, God, do I have to deny myself some legitimate pleasure like eating meat or doing acts of charity to my neighbor or to the less fortunate? Oh really, God, do I have to pray and exercise self-control with sacrifices to tame my anger or harsh words to others. Oh, really, God? We are like the Israelites in today’s First Reading who murmured against Moses after being thirsty. After God works the miracle of saving them from slavery, the people still complain at Meriba and Messa in the desert. It’s like someone who pays off your credit card debt, gets you food and shelter, and yet we still complains with sarcastic backtalking.
But God still leads the conversation. Jesus pursues us like a thirsty man, by contrast with the thirsty Israelites in today’s First Reading. God thirsts for our faith! But we, like the woman, still stubbornly mock God, “Oh really, give me this living water.” And after more quarrelling, Jesus reveals that the woman had five husbands and the man that she is with now [in the longer form of the Gospel]. This represents that the woman is searching for love, a love which can only be quenched by God’s love. And yet she still pushes back almost mockingly, “Sir, I see that you’re a prophet.” At the end of day, however, the woman at the well accepts Jesus as the Living Water. And then she tells others who believe, and they in turn believe that Jesus is the Savior of the world. The divine and human conversation appears here.
II
Now given our public situation, there are two responses as well: the human and the divine. We respond as best as we can to the best of human science to this virus, to the best of public health research, to common sense and basic human hygiene. Wash your hands, avoid physical contact, it’s okay if people do social distancing or don’t shake hands, self-quarantine, [strengthen our immune system], etc. I’m reminded of the cathedral deacon for the Cardinal Archbishop of New York. During Mass with the cardinal, the deacon forget to leave out “Let us offer each other the Sign of Peace.” So when the deacon forgetfully said, “Let us offer each other the Sign of Peace,” the cardinal interjected and said, “Let’s not!” These human measures are important.
But in addition to these human responses, let’s not forget our faith. Our response then is both a human response and a spiritual response to this outbreak. It’s not enough to just say “Only science and no faith” so too it is not enough to say “Just pray and no science.” It is both. So how do we, as People of Faith, respond? Exactly that: As people of faith. God thirsts for our faith. He wants our faith to move to divine love. So don’t lose your faith through this. Like the Israelites, let us remember how God brought us through every trial. As today’s Second Reading from Paul’s Letter to the Romans says, “Being justified therefore by faith, let us have peace with God…” Let us have hope that God brings us through ups and downs, even with this coronavirus.
Additionally, Pope Francis in Rome called on the Blessed Virgin Mary to stop this virus. [After the Prayers of the Faithful in a few minutes, we will turn to our Mama for help.] She is a good Mama who knows how to take care of us when we are sick or in trouble. Jesus in the Bible in John 19 said, “Behold your mother.” Our own Bishop Jaime Soto asked us to pray the rosary. [Fr. Glenn will say more about this in the announcements after the Post-Communion Prayer.] In the 2,000 history of the Church, whenever a crisis or a plague occurred, the Church turned to Mary for protection. In the 3rd Century, there is a prayer from the first Christians turning to Mary for help, “We fly to patronage, O Holy Mother of God, despite not our prayers and our necessities, but ever deliver us from all danger, O glorious and Blessed Virgin Mary.”
Like Francis of Rome and Bishop Soto, I too call for greater devotion, greater consecration, grater entrustment to the Mother of God during this time. Turn to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. I also raise awareness of the need for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary (or re-consecration of Russia, depending on how you look at it). [With the consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, great disasters in the Church and in the world are averted.] I wish to promote devotion to the first 5 Saturdays where we receive Holy Communion in the state of grace. The family rosary is a response to the coronavirus.
Also, during this time of Lent, let us fall on our knees, do penance, and beg God to remove this virus from us. Make sure that we are in the state of grace. Get to Confession as soon as we can. If we can’t get to Confession right away, then make a Perfect Act of Contrition. A Perfect Act of Contrition is where we tell God we are sorry for our sins because they have offended God’s love, instead of being sorry because we are afraid of Hell. Make a Perfect Act of Contrition.
[If time allows, use personal story: God you got me through life, no matter what. She gave me confidence no matter what happens. I remember reading reports of when this virus was starting to happen. I asked Jesus why he was allowing this. What was he expecting of us? My sense was that God got us through our life up to this point, and God isn’t going to change that. No matter what, God will see us through crises. God is trustworthy and more than worthy of our trust. Jesus, I trust in you.]
In closing, let us reply with Faith to God who thirsts for our faith. OK, God. OK, you got our attention? What do you ask of us? We give you our faith in Jesus the Living Water. We believe and trust in you. As we sang in today’s Responsorial Psalm, “If today we hear His voice, harden not your hearts.”
