The First Scrutiny for those preparing for Baptism at Easter was celebrated recently at Galway Cathedral.
This important moment in the journey of the catechumens forms part of their preparation for receiving the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil. Through the prayers of the Scrutinies, the Church asks God to strengthen those preparing for Baptism, helping them to grow in faith and to turn ever more fully toward Christ.
The celebration also invites the wider Christian community to pray for the catechumens and to support them as they continue their preparation during the season of Lent.
Homily
“For many of us who have messed up, be it small or big in life, we are sometimes ashamed or afraid to approach Jesus—while all the time, it is he who wants to approach us.” —Bishop Michael
Relations between the Jewish People and the People of Samaria were terribly strained. They were from different tribal backgrounds. They had a long history of disagreement. They argued, in particular, about whether God should be worshiped in Jerusalem or on Mount Gerizim, which is not far from where the story in today’s Gospel takes place. Come the time of Jesus, Jews and Samaritans held each other in such fierce disregard that they rarely associated or even spoke with each other. It is this backdrop that makes the story of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman rather interesting. It is an encounter that shouldn’t have taken place.
With the noonday sun overhead, Jesus rests in the middle of his journey at what was held to be Jacob’s well. There he breaks all the social norms of his day and asks, of all people, a Samaritan woman to give him some of her water to drink. So unusual was the contact between the two that the woman is startled and says to Jesus, “How come you, a Jew, are asking me, a Samaritan, for a drink?” Jesus goes on to engage her further in conversation. In the process, he turns the tables somewhat and explains that yes, she could give him water, but that he could give her what he calls “living water.” She retorts, “Sir, you don’t even have a bucket and the well is deep—how can you give me this living water?” Jesus goes on to explain that the water he is talking about is something entirely different—something spiritual—something that will quench not the thirst of her body but the thirst of her soul. Hearing this, the woman changes her tune and asks, “Sir, I will have some of that.” Still not fully understanding, she adds, “Then I won’t have to keep coming down here to draw water.”
At this point in the conversation, Jesus realises that he needs to be a bit more direct. He gently begins to open up a conversation about the woman’s own life. She has had not one but five husbands. Like a lot of us, life for her has brought with it complications and strained relationships, with no small share of heartbreak and pain. As the conversation progresses, religion and the religious differences between the Jews and Samaritans come up. It is clear that, deep down, this woman is searching. “I know the Messiah is coming,” she says. In answer, Jesus clearly states, “I am he.” In what is perhaps the most direct statement in the Gospels of his identity, he tells her that he is the Messiah—the one sent by God to lead all people to a better way of living. At this very moment, the disciples return and chastise Jesus for talking to a Samaritan. Leaving her water jar behind, the woman scurries away in a hurry and goes to tell the people from her village that she had met the Messiah. That day—that very day—and that chance encounter with Jesus, as she went about the monotony of her daily routine, was to change her life forever.
It is no coincidence that this Gospel story is read in the middle of Lent—this time of year when, as Christians, we seriously try to look at the spiritual aspect of our lives, when we strive to identify what improvements need to be made and embark on the journey of making them. This Lent, for anyone who really wants to reform their lives, that effort to identify those areas that need improvement—and the motivation and energy to embark on that journey of seriously addressing them—can find a powerful starting place in a prayerful encounter and conversation with Jesus.
For many of us who have messed up, be it small or big in life, we are sometimes ashamed or afraid to approach Jesus—while all the time, it is he who wants to approach us. To approach us no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in. To come side by side with us no matter what we have done or what we are doing. Despite our faults and our failings, Jesus is always there, ready to begin the conversation—not to judge us, but to engage with us, to help us see, in the light of his wisdom, the reality of our lives, and with the power of his presence to lead us and help us on the road to personal renewal.
In the week to come, I would encourage all of us to take a little time to speak to Jesus in our hearts. To use our own words to talk to him about our lives and what is going on in them. In the process, like the woman who met him in the ordinary task of drawing water from the well, we might have our lives renewed, enriched, and refreshed by the life-giving water of his presence.