3rd Sunday of Lent – (Cycle A, Year II)

Community Word: The word of God transforms us to a life of holiness.

Theme:We are transformed to a life of holiness when we worship the Father in spirit and truth.

Promise: “Whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst.”(Jn 4:14a)

Reflection:
Worship is an inner attitude of reverence and homage to His Divine Majesty. This includes actions that reveal our belief in‘the character and conduct of God to be worthy of praise and adoration.’It is expressed not just by simply kneeling, bowing, singing songs, joyful dancing or raising of hands, but it must be done fromthe heart in total submission to God. While worshipping we should experience deep conviction of our sins, receive cleansing and be commissioned by God for service which may eventually transform us into a life of holiness. But sad to say, the kind of worship that many know is misdirected to their work, bank account, fashion, movie personality or political iconsthat greatly influenced their daily life.

Jesus said to the Samaritan woman in the Gospel reading, “God is spirit and His worshippers must worship Him in spirit and in truth” (Jn 4:24). We find two fundamental elements of true worship in this message. First, God must be worshipped in spirit, and second, we should be worshipping Him in truth. When a person is filled with the Spirit of God and believes the Truth of God, we see in him a wonderful and miraculous transformation of a yielded and purified human soul. Even his faintest whisper is worship.

Worship must be vital and real; there must be spirit and there must be truth. Truth without emotion produces dead belief and a community of artificial admirers. On the other hand, emotion without truth produces empty passion and cultivates shallow people who refuse the discipline of accurate thought. God is not honored in our worship when we knowingly have sin in our lives or we are willfully sinning against Him. Our prayers will not be heard and our worship will not be received. If we lied to someone and have no plan of coming clean anytime, we will never have a meaningful worship. If we are holding a grudge against someone and have no intention of trying to work things out with them, do not expect God to hear our songs of praise, our prayers and petitions. God wants our worship to be true by the way we live our life, genuine and honorable. Worship is nothing if we do not have an intimate loving and personal relationship with God.

In our corporate worship, we should come with our hearts open and ready to commune with the Father in union with Jesus Christ. We gratefully proclaim the abiding presence of the Spirit within us and in our midst. As we worship from our hearts, we receive wholeness that enables us individually and collectively, to live out values of ‘righteousness and servanthood.’ We are transformed to bring to reality the mission entrusted us by God through our community.

Our desire to worship God is written in our hearts because we are “created by God and for God.”During worship we come to Jesus Christ, the Living Water, who quenches our thirst and satisfies our hunger. The water we drink from Him becomes in us a fountain overflowing with life for others, a river gushing up into eternal life. Thus if anyone is thirsty, he should come to meet the Lord in worship. For He gives this week’s promise for everyone who honors God in spirit and truth, “Whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst,”(Jn 4:14a).

Prayer
Lord Jesus, You are the Living Water! Thank You for putting a deep thirst in my being which only You can satisfy. Reveal to me my pride and humble me before Your Holy Presence when I approach Your throne of grace. Holy Spirit energize my spirit to be alive and sensitive to God’s call to a life of holiness when we come to worship the Father in spirit and truth. Amen.

Reflection Guide Questions:
1. What has been your experience when you come to the Lord in worship? Has worship changed your life after being renewed in the spirit?
2. What are the things that hinder you from truly worshiping the Lord and feeling His presence in your prayers and adoration?

This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
March 15, 2020 (Sun) -Ex 17:3-7/Ps 98:1-2,6-7,8-9/Rom 5:1-2,5-8/Jn 4:5-42
March 16, 2020 (Mon)–2Kgs 5:1-15/Ps 42:2, 3, 43:3, 4/Lk 4:24-30
March 17, 2020 (Tue)–Dn 3:25, 34-43/Ps 25:4-9/Mt 18:21-35
March 18, 2020 (Wed)–Dt 4:1, 5-9/Ps 147:12-16, 19, 20/Mt 5:17-19
March 19, 2020 (Thu)–2Sm 7:4-5, 12-14, 16/Ps 89:2-5, 27, 29/Rom 4:13, 16-18, 22/Mt 1:16, 18-21
March 20,2020 (Fri)–Hos 14:2-10/Ps 81:6-9, 10, 11, 14, 17/Mk 12:28-34
March 21, 2020 (Sat) –Hos 6:1-6/Ps 51:3-4,18-19,20-21/Lk 18:9-14

“Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ. Read your Bible daily!”