FM's Message | Sunday, March 12th, 2023

As the Third Sunday of Lent come upon us, it is a good time to check where we are in our Lenten journey. Last week, we had the transfiguration of Jesus. It is a reminder that the work of God is from the inside out and if we let it, can change our appearance too. It reminds me of a comedian from Ireland, Tommy Tiernan. In commenting about priests, he said that he thinks that “priests should show the effect of their decision on their face”. It is part of a ribald reflection on preaching and priests. (You can look at it, but it is a little salty. Be warned.)
The point is that our lives are to be so transformed by our Lenten practices that people can see the effects on our words, behaviors, and attitudes. This is the reaction of the woman at the well.
Jesus has his transformation and it causes him now to reach out even to the Samaritans, the traditional enemies of the Jewish people. This is a lesson in itself, but the woman’s disordered life, in the face of the truth, prompts her to change. This is what Lent can be for us. As we drive towards the sun, we can see the dust and dirt on the windshield of our cars, so too with our lives as we move towards Jesus through our Lenten sacrifices and prayer. Hopefully what we see are the parts that are disordered and we use this truth to humbly ask for help and healing. What we hope for us is what happened to the woman. She became an evangelizer by telling people about what it means to encounter Jesus and to have your thirst for God ended by Him. One of the odd things about this woman is that we don’t know her name. She is just an anonymous outsider, but again, this is part of the lesson.  
Anonymous Christianity was made famous by Father Karl Rahner SJ, a German Jesuit who wrote extensively in theology, sometimes concentrating on the Holy Spirit. One of his ideas was that the world is full of anonymous Christians and that we don’t know who is going to bring us the love of Christ. Either way, this woman, who experts believe was probably an outcast in her community, (five marriages, living with a man who is not her husband) now becomes the person who introduces Jesus to others. The Holy Spirit works through this woman, even in her brokenness and brings others to Jesus through her experience of him at the well. The well can represent many things, and here, it is both the symbol of human and soul thirst at the same time. Her moment comes when she realizes that her thirst for love is fulfilled in Jesus. So it is for us and everyone. The challenge for us to imitate her and after losing our anonymity before Jesus, begin to be people who share his message everywhere and before everyone. This week, we might ask ourselves about where we are and whether we can see transformation happening in us. If not, there’s work to do. If yes, tell someone and that will be the proclamation of the Gospel. The Good news is that no one needs to be perfect to start this now.
Peace,
Fr. Murray

Building news: This week we had an ice dam over the entrance of the ramp door at IC. We resolved it, but we discovered some issues with pine needles and snow. The roofers will be in to look at it for repairs next week. We also have to have some work done on the boiler at IC as there are some parts that are breaking down after a lot of use. We also have some repair to do on the thermostat in the office. In the rectory, we had a backed-up sewage pipe because of tree roots in the pipes. Not sure how they got in there. The pipes will be pressure cleaned later this month.