{"id":17976,"date":"2026-03-06T09:23:29","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T08:23:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/behold.mt\/?post_type=talba-bil-kelma&#038;p=17976"},"modified":"2026-03-06T19:20:42","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T18:20:42","slug":"the-water-jesus-gives-become-a-spring-of-eternal-life","status":"publish","type":"talba-bil-kelma","link":"https:\/\/behold.mt\/en\/talba-bil-kelma\/the-water-jesus-gives-become-a-spring-of-eternal-life\/","title":{"rendered":"The water Jesus gives become a spring of eternal life"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong><em>Third Sunday of Lent<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Collect <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>O God, author of every mercy and of all goodness, who in fasting, prayer and almsgiving have shown us a remedy for sin, look graciously on this confession of our lowliness, that we, who are bowed down by our conscience, may always be lifted up by your mercy. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n<style id=\"kt-blocks_bea0fe-57\">.kt-accordion-id_bea0fe-57 .kt-accordion-panel-inner {border-width:0px 0px 0px 0px;}.kt-accordion-id_bea0fe-57 .wp-block-kadence-pane .kt-accordion-header-wrap .kt-blocks-accordion-header {color:#555555;background:#f2f2f2;border-color:#555555 #555555 #555555 #555555;font-size:18px;line-height:24px;border-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;border-width:0px 0px 0px 0px;padding-top:10px;padding-right:14px;padding-bottom:10px;padding-left:14px;}.kt-accordion-id_bea0fe-57 .kt-blocks-accordion-header .kt-btn-svg-icon svg {width:18px;height:18px;}.kt-accordion-id_bea0fe-57:not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-basiccircle ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-xclosecircle ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-arrowcircle ) .kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger:after, .kt-accordion-id_bea0fe-57:not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-basiccircle ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-xclosecircle ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-arrowcircle ) .kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger:before {background:#555555;}.kt-accordion-id_bea0fe-57:not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-basic ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-xclose ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-arrow ) .kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger {background:#555555;}.kt-accordion-id_bea0fe-57:not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-basic ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-xclose ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-arrow ) .kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger:after, .kt-accordion-id_bea0fe-57:not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-basic ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-xclose ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-arrow ) .kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger:before {background:#f2f2f2;}.kt-accordion-id_bea0fe-57 .kt-accordion-header-wrap .kt-blocks-accordion-header:hover, .kt-accordion-id_bea0fe-57 .kt-accordion-header-wrap .kt-blocks-accordion-header:focus {color:#444444;background:#eeeeee;border-color:#eeeeee #eeeeee #eeeeee #eeeeee;}.kt-accordion-id_bea0fe-57:not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-basiccircle ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-xclosecircle ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-arrowcircle ) .kt-blocks-accordion-header:hover .kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger:after, .kt-accordion-id_bea0fe-57:not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-basiccircle ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-xclosecircle ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-arrowcircle ) .kt-blocks-accordion-header:hover .kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger:before, .kt-accordion-id_bea0fe-57:not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-basiccircle ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-xclosecircle ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-arrowcircle ) .kt-blocks-accordion-header:focus .kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger:after, .kt-accordion-id_bea0fe-57:not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-basiccircle ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-xclosecircle ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-arrowcircle ) .kt-blocks-accordion-header:focus .kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger:before {background:#444444;}.kt-accordion-id_bea0fe-57:not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-basic ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-xclose ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-arrow ) .kt-blocks-accordion-header:hover .kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger, .kt-accordion-id_bea0fe-57:not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-basic ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-xclose ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-arrow ) .kt-blocks-accordion-header:focus .kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger {background:#444444;}.kt-accordion-id_bea0fe-57:not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-basic ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-xclose ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-arrow ) .kt-blocks-accordion-header:hover .kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger:after, .kt-accordion-id_bea0fe-57:not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-basic ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-xclose ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-arrow ) .kt-blocks-accordion-header:hover .kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger:before, .kt-accordion-id_bea0fe-57:not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-basic ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-xclose ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-arrow ) .kt-blocks-accordion-header:focus .kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger:after, .kt-accordion-id_bea0fe-57:not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-basic ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-xclose ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-arrow ) .kt-blocks-accordion-header:focus .kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger:before {background:#eeeeee;}.kt-accordion-id_bea0fe-57 .kt-accordion-header-wrap .kt-blocks-accordion-header.kt-accordion-panel-active {color:#ffffff;background:#444444;border-color:#444444 #444444 #444444 #444444;}.kt-accordion-id_bea0fe-57:not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-basiccircle ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-xclosecircle ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-arrowcircle ) .kt-blocks-accordion-header.kt-accordion-panel-active .kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger:after, .kt-accordion-id_bea0fe-57:not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-basiccircle ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-xclosecircle ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-arrowcircle ) .kt-blocks-accordion-header.kt-accordion-panel-active .kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger:before {background:#ffffff;}.kt-accordion-id_bea0fe-57:not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-basic ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-xclose ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-arrow ) .kt-blocks-accordion-header.kt-accordion-panel-active .kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger {background:#ffffff;}.kt-accordion-id_bea0fe-57:not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-basic ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-xclose ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-arrow ) .kt-blocks-accordion-header.kt-accordion-panel-active .kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger:after, .kt-accordion-id_bea0fe-57:not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-basic ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-xclose ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-arrow ) .kt-blocks-accordion-header.kt-accordion-panel-active .kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger:before {background:#444444;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-accordion alignnone\"><div class=\"kt-accordion-wrap kt-accordion-wrap kt-accordion-id_bea0fe-57 kt-accordion-has-23-panes kt-active-pane-5 kt-accordion-block kt-pane-header-alignment-left kt-accodion-icon-style-basic kt-accodion-icon-side-right\" style=\"max-width:none\"><div class=\"kt-accordion-inner-wrap\" data-allow-multiple-open=\"true\" data-start-open=\"5\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-pane kt-accordion-pane kt-accordion-pane-18 kt-pane_d08bb5-ce\"><div class=\"kt-accordion-header-wrap\"><button class=\"kt-blocks-accordion-header kt-acccordion-button-label-show\"><span class=\"kt-blocks-accordion-title-wrap\"><span class=\"kt-blocks-accordion-title\"><strong>First reading <\/strong><\/span><\/span><span class=\"kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger\"><\/span><\/button><\/div><div class=\"kt-accordion-panel\"><div class=\"kt-accordion-panel-inner\">\n<p>First Reading<br>Ex 17:3-7<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Give us water, so that we might drink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A reading from the Book of Exodus<\/strong><br><br>In those days, in their thirst for water,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; the people grumbled against Moses,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; saying, \u201cWhy did you ever make us leave Egypt?<br>Was it just to have us die here of thirst<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; with our children and our livestock?\u201d<br>So Moses cried out to the LORD,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cWhat shall I do with this people?<br>a little more and they will stone me!\u201d<br>The LORD answered Moses,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cGo over there in front of the people,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; along with some of the elders of Israel,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; holding in your hand, as you go,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; the staff with which you struck the river.<br>I will be standing there in front of you on the rock in Horeb.<br>Strike the rock, and the water will flow from it<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; for the people to drink.\u201d<br>This Moses did, in the presence of the elders of Israel.<br>The place was called Massah and Meribah,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; because the Israelites quarreled there<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; and tested the LORD, saying,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cIs the LORD in our midst or not?\u201d<br><br><strong>The word of the Lord.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-pane kt-accordion-pane kt-accordion-pane-22 kt-pane_74ccde-45\"><div class=\"kt-accordion-header-wrap\"><button class=\"kt-blocks-accordion-header kt-acccordion-button-label-show\"><span class=\"kt-blocks-accordion-title-wrap\"><span class=\"kt-blocks-accordion-title\"><strong>Responsorial Psalm<\/strong><\/span><\/span><span class=\"kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger\"><\/span><\/button><\/div><div class=\"kt-accordion-panel\"><div class=\"kt-accordion-panel-inner\">\n<p>Responsorial Psalm<br>Ps 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>R. :<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u211f. (8)&nbsp;<strong>If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.<br>Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; let us joyfully sing psalms to him.<br><br>\u211f.&nbsp;<strong>If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.<\/strong><br><br>Come, let us bow down in worship;<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; let us kneel before the LORD who made us.<br>For he is our God,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.<br><br>\u211f.&nbsp;<strong>If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.<\/strong><br><br>Oh, that today you would hear his voice:<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cHarden not your hearts as at Meribah,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; as in the day of Massah in the desert,<br>Where your fathers tempted me;<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; they tested me though they had seen my works.\u201d<br><br>\u211f.&nbsp;<strong>If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-pane kt-accordion-pane kt-accordion-pane-23 kt-pane_c45c13-a4\"><div class=\"kt-accordion-header-wrap\"><button class=\"kt-blocks-accordion-header kt-acccordion-button-label-show\"><span class=\"kt-blocks-accordion-title-wrap\"><span class=\"kt-blocks-accordion-title\"><strong>Second reading<\/strong><\/span><\/span><span class=\"kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger\"><\/span><\/button><\/div><div class=\"kt-accordion-panel\"><div class=\"kt-accordion-panel-inner\">\n<p>Second Reading<br>Rom 5:1-2, 5-8<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans<\/strong><br><br>Brothers and sisters:<br>Since we have been justified by faith,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; through whom we have gained access by faith<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; to this grace in which we stand,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; and we boast in hope of the glory of God.<br><br>And hope does not disappoint,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.<br>For Christ, while we were still helpless,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; died at the appointed time for the ungodly.<br>Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die.<br>But God proves his love for us<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.<br><br><strong>The word of the Lord.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Acclamation before the Gospel<br><\/strong>cf. Jn 4:42, 15<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lord, you are truly the Savior of the world;<br>give me living water, that I may never thirst again.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-pane kt-accordion-pane kt-accordion-pane-20 kt-pane_c09497-23\"><div class=\"kt-accordion-header-wrap\"><button class=\"kt-blocks-accordion-header kt-acccordion-button-label-show\"><span class=\"kt-blocks-accordion-title-wrap\"><span class=\"kt-blocks-accordion-title\"><strong>Gospel <\/strong><\/span><\/span><span class=\"kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger\"><\/span><\/button><\/div><div class=\"kt-accordion-panel\"><div class=\"kt-accordion-panel-inner\">\n<p>Gospel<br>Jn 4:5-42 or 4:5-15, 19b-26, 39a, 40-42<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The water that I shall give will become a spring of eternal life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2720&nbsp;<strong>A reading from the holy Gospel according to John<\/strong><br><br>Jesus came to a town of Samaria called Sychar,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.<br>Jacob\u2019s well was there.<br>Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well.<br>It was about noon.<br><br>A woman of Samaria came to draw water.<br>Jesus said to her,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cGive me a drink.\u201d<br>His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.<br>The Samaritan woman said to him,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cHow can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?\u201d<br>\u2014For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.\u2014<br>Jesus answered and said to her,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cIf you knew the gift of God<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; and who is saying to you, \u2018Give me a drink,\u2019<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; you would have asked him<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; and he would have given you living water.\u201d<br>The woman said to him,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cSir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep;<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; where then can you get this living water?<br>Are you greater than our father Jacob,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; with his children and his flocks?\u201d<br>Jesus answered and said to her,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cEveryone who drinks this water will be thirsty again;<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst;<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; the water I shall give will become in him<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; a spring of water welling up to eternal life.\u201d<br>The woman said to him,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cSir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; or have to keep coming here to draw water.\u201d<br><br>Jesus said to her,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cGo call your husband and come back.\u201d<br>The woman answered and said to him,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cI do not have a husband.\u201d<br>Jesus answered her,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cYou are right in saying, \u2018I do not have a husband.\u2019<br>For you have had five husbands,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; and the one you have now is not your husband.<br>What you have said is true.\u201d<br>The woman said to him,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cSir, I can see that you are a prophet.<br>Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain;<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.\u201d<br>Jesus said to her,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cBelieve me, woman, the hour is coming<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; when you will worship the Father<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.<br>You people worship what you do not understand;<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; we worship what we understand,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; because salvation is from the Jews.<br>But the hour is coming, and is now here,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth;<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him.<br>God is Spirit, and those who worship him<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; must worship in Spirit and truth.\u201d<br>The woman said to him,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cI know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Christ;<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; when he comes, he will tell us everything.\u201d<br>Jesus said to her,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cI am he, the one speaking with you.\u201d<br><br>At that moment his disciples returned,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; and were amazed that he was talking with a woman,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; but still no one said, \u201cWhat are you looking for?\u201d<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; or \u201cWhy are you talking with her?\u201d<br>The woman left her water jar<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; and went into the town and said to the people,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cCome see a man who told me everything I have done.<br>Could he possibly be the Christ?\u201d<br>They went out of the town and came to him.<br>Meanwhile, the disciples urged him, \u201cRabbi, eat.\u201d<br>But he said to them,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cI have food to eat of which you do not know.\u201d<br>So the disciples said to one another,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cCould someone have brought him something to eat?\u201d<br>Jesus said to them,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cMy food is to do the will of the one who sent me<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; and to finish his work.<br>Do you not say, \u2018In four months the harvest will be here\u2019?<br>I tell you, look up and see the fields ripe for the harvest.<br>The reaper is already receiving payment<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; and gathering crops for eternal life,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; so that the sower and reaper can rejoice together.<br>For here the saying is verified that \u2018One sows and another reaps.\u2019<br>I sent you to reap what you have not worked for;<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; others have done the work,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; and you are sharing the fruits of their work.\u201d<br><br>Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; because of the word of the woman who testified,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cHe told me everything I have done.\u201d<br>When the Samaritans came to him,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; they invited him to stay with them;<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; and he stayed there two days.<br>Many more began to believe in him because of his word,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; and they said to the woman,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cWe no longer believe because of your word;<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; for we have heard for ourselves,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; and we know that this is truly the savior of the world.\u201d<br><br>Or: [Shorter Form]<br><br>Jesus came to a town of Samaria called Sychar,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.<br>Jacob\u2019s well was there.<br>Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well.<br>It was about noon.<br><br>A woman of Samaria came to draw water.<br>Jesus said to her,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cGive me a drink.\u201d<br>His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.<br>The Samaritan woman said to him,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cHow can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?\u201d<br>\u2014For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.\u2014<br>Jesus answered and said to her,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cIf you knew the gift of God<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; and who is saying to you, \u2018Give me a drink,\u2019<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; you would have asked him<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; and he would have given you living water.\u201d<br>The woman said to him,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cSir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep;<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; where then can you get this living water?<br>Are you greater than our father Jacob,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; with his children and his flocks?\u201d<br>Jesus answered and said to her,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cEveryone who drinks this water will be thirsty again;<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst;<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; the water I shall give will become in him<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; a spring of water welling up to eternal life.\u201d<br>The woman said to him,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cSir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; or have to keep coming here to draw water.<br><br>\u201cI can see that you are a prophet.<br>Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain;<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.\u201d<br>Jesus said to her,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cBelieve me, woman, the hour is coming<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; when you will worship the Father<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.<br>You people worship what you do not understand;<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; we worship what we understand,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; because salvation is from the Jews.<br>But the hour is coming, and is now here,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth;<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him.<br>God is Spirit, and those who worship him<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; must worship in Spirit and truth.\u201d<br>The woman said to him,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cI know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Christ;<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; when he comes, he will tell us everything.\u201d<br>Jesus said to her,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cI am he, the one who is speaking with you.\u201d<br><br>Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him.<br>When the Samaritans came to him,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; they invited him to stay with them;<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; and he stayed there two days.<br>Many more began to believe in him because of his word,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; and they said to the woman,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cWe no longer believe because of your word;<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; for we have heard for ourselves,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; and we know that this is truly the savior of the world.\u201d<br><br>At the end of the Gospel, the Deacon, or the Priest, acclaims:<br><br><strong>The Gospel of the Lord.<\/strong><br><br>All reply:<br><br><strong>Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#fad899\"><strong>Reflection<br><\/strong><br>In the early Church, those who requested to join the believers were required to take part in a series of Rites called the scrutinies. Amongst other things, those who were to take part in these rites and were employed in certain types of work, some of which are no longer considered immoral, were required to cease their employment before they were accepted as catechumens. Those who worked in certain types of occupations were prohibited from becoming catechumens. Another scrutiny took place during Lent, before the Easter Vigil, at which time the Catechumens were to be Baptised. During this period, not only their social status was examined, but also the progress they had made in the Christian community. The bishop would ask the members of the community to communicate to him how the catechumens had grown in their faith and in their service to their brothers and sisters during the months or years that had been catechumens.<br><br>Although the criteria for examining the catechumens have changed over time, the principle that their faith must be examined has remained. The Church also desires that, in these Rites, those chosen to become members of the Christian community are joined by those who have already been Baptised. Therefore, these scrutinies, which take place on the Third, Fourth and Fifth Sunday of Lent, are also tools for our conversion, because they help us recognise how genuine our faith really is and reveals to us where we may be going astray.<br><br>The theme in today\u2019s Liturgy is Christ as the water of eternal life. This is expressed through the passage from the Gospel according to St. John in which Jesus meets the Samaritan woman at Jacob\u2019s well. In this dialogue between Jesus and the Samaritan woman, we witness a genuine conversion. The woman, who\u2019s name is unknown to us and therefore represents each of us, begins by calling Jesus a \u2018Jew\u2019 in a disparaging manner. Later she calls Him \u2018Lord\u2019, then \u2018Prophet and finally she calls Him \u2018Messiah\u2019. What caused the transformation in her thinking was the water that Jesus was offering her. At the outset she thought He was speaking about physical water, but she soon realised that He was speaking about water that quenched a thirst that was far deeper than bodily thirst; the existential thirst of those who search for someone that accepts them as they truly are. This is the thirst that we all experience, a thirst that only Jesus can satisfy.<br><br>During the exorcism prayer that the bishop prays this Sunday, water is mentioned several times. He prays that, like the Samaritan woman, those who have been chosen to receive the Sacrament of Baptism may long for the living water that Jesus desires to give them. The bishop continues praying to God so that \u201cthey recognise and declare that they are weak and sinful; do not allow their hope to be in vain nor the devil to deceive them; save them from error, help them recognise the evil they have committed so their soul may be purified, and that through Your grace they may walk in the way of salvation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>Prayer<\/p><p> Lord, quench my thirst with Your water, so that I may never thirst again. Amen.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":14051,"template":"","rizors":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v16.4 (Yoast SEO v16.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The water Jesus gives become a spring of eternal life - Behold<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/behold.mt\/en\/talba-bil-kelma\/the-water-jesus-gives-become-a-spring-of-eternal-life\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The water Jesus gives become a spring of eternal life - Behold\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Third Sunday of Lent  Collect   O God, author of every mercy and of all goodness, who in fasting, prayer and almsgiving have shown us a remedy for sin, look graciously on this confession of our lowliness, that we, who are bowed down by our conscience, may always be lifted up by your mercy. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever... 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