“Come to the waters, you who are thirsty, says the Lord; you who have no money, come and drink joyfully.” (Is 55.1)
“In the wilderness the people thirsted for water; … they complained against Moses: Why do you bring us out of Egypt? . . . Is the Lord among us or not?” (Ex.17)
Moses appealed to God and along with some elders found the rock designated by God, struck it and life-giving water sprang forth. Their thirst satisfied, the people could now continue on their journey to the Promised Land knowing once more that God does care for them, even within dry deserts.
In the Gospel of John, the Samaritan Woman wondered at Jesus’ surprising request for water to a woman and a Samaritan besides. Jesus revealed to her the living water that only God can provide. As she conversed with Jesus, she came to believe that he truly was the long-awaited Messiah. This realization so inspired her that she immediately ran back to her village to spread this good news. The Samaritan lady left her old self to start a new life filled with hope. The people came, also heard Jesus and “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’”. (cf. John 4.5-42)
Thus, the Gospel message is spread throughout the world.
Sometimes I feel a little like the Israelites in the desert, dying of thirst; I would dearly love to have “a Moses” strike the rock that has settled in my heart and break it open to the living water of God’s grace. Like the Samaritan woman at the well, I can access the gift of living/eternal water promised by Jesus – I have only to ask, listen, and open my being to receiving it. This sounds too easy!
As I journey toward Easter and the Resurrection, intensifying my prayer life, fasting in various ways to become a better person, and sharing my “wealth” with others, I trust that I can arrive at those moments when I experience that God does care for me even more than I ever dreamed possible. With this encouragement, I can continue on this pilgrimage to Resurrection!
4th Sunday in Lent – March 15, 2026
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we see a compassionate Jesus with his disciples walk near a blind man from birth. Jesus cures him on a Sabbath day. The Pharisees forbade to heal on this day. The Jews did not believe that the man was blind, they wanted to know his identity as he was known as a beggar.
Jesus takes the first initiative to put mud on the blind man’s eyes and instructed him to “go and wash”. At this moment he did not promise any sight.
The blind man obeyed and consented without any hesitation or confusion, he listened to Jesus and went immediately to the pool and washed his eyes. Then he obtained sight! He did not know who Jesus was, he only knew his name.
Do we always listen to Jesus? The Lord can cure our diseases. Let’s put our trust and believe in him and do his will.
Sometimes we are blind, and what blinds us, in our everyday lives? What can we do about it? We all want to be healed from our weaknesses and enjoy good health. Let us pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help us in our health problems, to remove the veil from our eyes, to surrender things that are in our way that prevents us from seeing the truth.
‘On the day I called, you answered me, you increased my strength of soul.’ Ps. 138;3
Jesus’ disciples had already seen this man, they asked Jesus what caused the man to be blind. Immediately, Jesus says, “the man is blind not from sinning, but it is to show the mercy of God, and to reveal His works so people could believe in Him and know who He is.” It is the man’s faith that really restored his eyesight!
Afterwards, Jesus found the man again and asked if he believed in the Son of man and he replied “yes” and immediately he bowed down in adoration.
‘The Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous.’ Ps 146,8
This blind man has now become a witness of God’s glory. He was totally transformed, full of gratitude and thanksgiving, after what he had just encountered with the Son of man.
Let us worship the Lord for all that He bestows on us. He can touch us with his inner light. We can get close to Him in a meaningful way, by reading and reflecting the Scriptures. We can be a faithful witness of His Word.
Let’s pray to be a true disciple. Ask God to give us wisdom to be able to change some things in our lives so He can guide us to victory. Take time to thank Him.
I invite you to take a few moments to read and reflect on the ‘Serenity Prayer’ by Reinhold Niebuhr.
God, grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change. The courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace; Taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is; Not as I would have it; Trusting that You will make all things right if I surrender to Your will;
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with You forever in the next. Amen.
