Third Sunday of Lent, First Scrutiny of the Elect
Also Read: Mass Readings for 3 March 2024 Homily for 3 March 2024 – Sunday
Scrutiny Mass Reading Reflection
First Reading: Exodus 17: 3-7
“I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.” Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel.” (6)
Lord God Our Father, gave the Israelites water from the rock to drink! Let us go to the Lord Our God in faith for even from the rock he can spring forth waters. In our barren places let us not quarrel and complain, but seek the Lord God with all our might, soul, and spirit. The Lord visits us amid our patience and perseverance. Let us not lose hope, for we will yet trust in the Lord God Almighty.
In Jesus’ name, Amen!
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 95: 1-2, 6-9
O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. O that today you would listen to his voice! Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, when your ancestors tested me, and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work. (6-9)
Amen!
Second Reading: Romans 5: 1-2, 5-8
Hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. (5)
God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. (8)
God proves himself to us! But why does God need to do that? God has given us a freewill through which we are able to accept or reject God. He made us in his own likeness and therefore leaves it to us to love him freely. It is the Holy Spirit within us that cries “Abba Father!” if we continue to dampen the Holy Spirit by turning deaf ears to him; we may not hear his voice anymore.
Listening to the Holy Spirit is our response to God’s love. Fear of God is the beginning of Wisdom. We fear the Lord God because we love Him; while this love we have for God is a gift from God Our Father. The Holy Spirit pours God’s love into our hearts and therefore we have hope. We have hope through Jesus Christ who loved us while we were still in sin! We must ask the Holy Spirit to guide our hearts and spirits as we ponder these great mysteries. The Holy Spirit reveals to us hidden gems of our faith if we submit our intellect and knowledge to his teaching.
Let us not keep testing the Lord and turn our petitions to Mother Mary as we seek the Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
Gospel: John 4: 5-42
God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.” Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who is speaking to you.” (24-26)
They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.” (42)
Why did Jesus reveal himself to the woman of Samaria? In the interaction with Jesus, the woman sensed God’s presence! But how was this possible? It seems that the woman was humble enough to be taught. The Samaritans unlike the scribes and Pharisees of their time, did not ask Jesus for any more signs! They believed!
No matter how sinful we might have been, we have an appointment with Christ this Lenten Season. Let us make the most of our time slot in the presence of God and humbly believe in Him. Let us drink from the spring of eternal water that is in us, that is Jesus Christ.
In Jesus’ name, Amen!
