DECEPTIVE LIVING
THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT
During the last presidential election campaign, one of the candidates said: The fundamentals of our economy are strong. A few days later came the shocking news: The economy is on the verge of collapse. Our tendency is to paint a rosy picture of everything. Once, a little boy said to the priest ‘If everything is wonderful, why is Jesus still hanging on the cross?’ Denial or deceptive living is as old as human history. “I ate the fruit because Eve gave me”, Adam said to God. “I don’t know Him”, Peter said to the woman. “I have no hand in His blood.”’ Pilate washed his hands. Many people are living in denial. As long as a person lives in denial, he/she cannot enjoy change and growth.
The story of the Samaritan Woman tells us the importance of facing the truth. She was living in denial. “I have no husband”, she told Jesus. In fact, she was living with the sixth man. Because she was living in denial, she could not stay with one man. People who live in denial fall into the trap of sin. They commit one sin to cover the other.
How does one come to the truth? It is by coming to the light of Jesus! Her confrontation with the Word of God (Jesus) changed everything dramatically. In the presence of Jesus, she could not hide her private life anymore. She met Jesus face to face at ‘noon’. The brightness of sun is at its maximum at noon. Who can face the sun at noon? The brightness of the Son of God uncovered her hidden life. Change begins when we allow ourselves to be confronted by the word of God. The Word of God hit Paul on the road to Damascus. He became a new person.
Three things resulted from her meeting with Jesus.1. The moment she accepted her deceptive life style, a new world began to dawn for her. She started thinking about things that really matter. “Where do we worship?” she asked Jesus. She became interested in a higher level of existence. 2. She left the jar. She gave up her old way of living. (Peter and Andrew left their nets and nest and followed Jesus.), We cannot have either ways. 3. She ran to the town and shared her experience with people. She became an Evangelizer.
To be the witness of Jesus is our role as disciples of Jesus. Lent is the time for reality check. Am I living in denial? If so, what do I need to do to come to the light of Jesus? What are the Jars I need to leave behind to drink from the life giving spring? Do I find pleasure in sharing the Good News with others?
THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT
During the last presidential election campaign, one of the candidates said: The fundamentals of our economy are strong. A few days later came the shocking news: The economy is on the verge of collapse. Our tendency is to paint a rosy picture of everything. Once, a little boy said to the priest ‘If everything is wonderful, why is Jesus still hanging on the cross?’ Denial or deceptive living is as old as human history. “I ate the fruit because Eve gave me”, Adam said to God. “I don’t know Him”, Peter said to the woman. “I have no hand in His blood.”’ Pilate washed his hands. Many people are living in denial. As long as a person lives in denial, he/she cannot enjoy change and growth.
The story of the Samaritan Woman tells us the importance of facing the truth. She was living in denial. “I have no husband”, she told Jesus. In fact, she was living with the sixth man. Because she was living in denial, she could not stay with one man. People who live in denial fall into the trap of sin. They commit one sin to cover the other.
How does one come to the truth? It is by coming to the light of Jesus! Her confrontation with the Word of God (Jesus) changed everything dramatically. In the presence of Jesus, she could not hide her private life anymore. She met Jesus face to face at ‘noon’. The brightness of sun is at its maximum at noon. Who can face the sun at noon? The brightness of the Son of God uncovered her hidden life. Change begins when we allow ourselves to be confronted by the word of God. The Word of God hit Paul on the road to Damascus. He became a new person.
Three things resulted from her meeting with Jesus.1. The moment she accepted her deceptive life style, a new world began to dawn for her. She started thinking about things that really matter. “Where do we worship?” she asked Jesus. She became interested in a higher level of existence. 2. She left the jar. She gave up her old way of living. (Peter and Andrew left their nets and nest and followed Jesus.), We cannot have either ways. 3. She ran to the town and shared her experience with people. She became an Evangelizer.
To be the witness of Jesus is our role as disciples of Jesus. Lent is the time for reality check. Am I living in denial? If so, what do I need to do to come to the light of Jesus? What are the Jars I need to leave behind to drink from the life giving spring? Do I find pleasure in sharing the Good News with others?
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