[Exodus 17:3-7; Psalm 95; Romans 5:1-2,5-8; John 4:5-42]

NB- Year A readings are used here because the First scrutiny will take place at St Bede’s this Sunday.

Do you ever feel that we take God for granted? I think I do sometimes. Here we are in the year 2025, we have the benefit of the Scriptures going back thousands of years, we have the benefit of the works of the Church Fathers and sermons laid down for centuries by the saints and doctors of the Church, and yet we don’t get as excited as the woman at the well; who encountered Christ for a few minutes of deep personal conversation and experienced the wonderful conversion we hear about in today’s Gospel. She immediately abandoned her pot [something very important in her domestic life] and went to share the good news with her neighbours.

This lady went from being lost, out on a limb, labelled as an immoral woman within her community, and became an evangelist, a disciple of Jesus; sharing the news that the Messiah had arrived. We hear the words of the Gospel every week.

Who do we rush to share the Good News with?

This Gospel is available for use every year on the third Sunday of Lent and is obligatory when people are coming into the Church and the first scrutiny is taking place. It tells us of the conversion of the individual. All around the world there are thousands of individuals who are experiencing this conversion today. This personal encounter with Jesus.

The Scrutinies are three special rites that help prepare the Elect, those participating in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), to enter the Catholic Church. They take place during the period of RCIA formation known as  Purification and Enlightenment, near the end of their formation.

The season of Lent involves a more intense period of examination and preparation for the Elect, and hopefully for those of us already living the Catholic faith. Though they are meant for the RCIA Elect, the Scrutinies can help all Catholics seeking to live a life of continuous conversion. 

The purpose of the Scrutinies is “to uncover, then heal all that is weak, defective, or sinful” in the hearts of the Elect and to “strengthen all that is upright, strong, and good.” (Quotes from Ritual Text for Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults, paragraph #141)

Lent is a time when we go out into our personal wilderness in an attempt to get closer to God. We fast and abstain from some of the things we are attached to; things which may be coming between us and God. We find more time to pray, getting to know God better, allowing God to touch, speak and change us through our prayer time as we listen in the silence for His voice, His guidance, His direction. We enter into communion with the poor and needy by dedicating more time to serving their needs or by giving to worthy causes.

My Lent involves switching off my access to social media, which has the potential to waste a lot of my time. This time is now spent in reading more of the Divine Office or reading books, which help me understand my faith better. A recent example of this is “The Mass in Close-Up” by Fr Antony Jones, this is available on Universalis and describes in detail the various steps of the Mass. The reader is encouraged to read one section at a time and then to attend Mass and using what they have read to allow their understanding of this great Sacrament to mature slowly and deeply. If this sparks an interest in you, why not have a look for it on Universalis or in a bookstore.

The Scriptures today invite us to discern if we are more like the people Moses led in the first reading; who had seen God’s power and benevolence first hand, or if we are like the Samaritans who rushed out to meet Jesus when they heard the testimony of the woman who met Jesus at the well? The Israelites grumbled because they were thirsty, they put God to the test, God provided them water to see them through their 40 years in the wilderness. The woman at the well was offered living water; those who drink this water will never thirst again. We have that same offer from Jesus today, we don’t need to put God to the test, because we know Jesus is our Saviour. In this New Covenant, we were washed with living water at our Baptism. Jesus provides everything we need; all we need to do is listen, believe and obey, just like the Samaritan woman did at the well.

Further Reading

Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC)

Third Sunday of Lent

CCC 1214-1216, 1226-1228: baptism, rebirth of water and Spirit
CCC 727-729: Jesus reveals the Holy Spirit
CCC 694, 733-736, 1215, 1999, 2652: the Holy Spirit, the living water, a gift of God
CCC 604, 733, 1820, 1825, 1992, 2658: God takes the initiative; hope from the Spirit

The Three Pillars of Lent and the Jubilee Year

The Fruit of the Holy Spirit – What is self-control? | GotQuestions.org

✞ 21 Unique Lenten Prayers for Spiritual Renewal ✞ –

Please keep in your prayers this week

  • The sick and housebound, those who are dying and those who are grieving.
  • Father Jean-Patrice that he makes a full recovery.
  • The continued fight to protect all life from conception until natural death.
  • Fr John Chadwick, who is ill at this time.
  • Polly and Audrey who will undergo the first scrutiny at St Bede’s this weekend.
  • The group from Bishop Challoner who are hoping to go on pilgrimage to Rome this weekend.

Deacon Tony, 21st March 2025