From The Bishop

The Readings for the Third Sunday of Lent help us to focus on God's mercy and forgiveness. The Gospel of St. John presents Jesus cleansing the temple. We too need to rid ourselves of those things that clutter our lives, especially sin. We need to spiritually cleanse the "temple of the Holy Spirit", our souls. The best way to do this is to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The First Reading from Exodus presents us with the Ten Commandments. They offer us a means of determining where sin may be present in our lives. The Sacrament of Reconciliation allows us to share in the merits of Christ's sacrifice on the cross from which mercy and forgiveness flows. In the Second Reading St. Paul states, "The message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." In our sin we are perishing and we are saved by the power of God which we find in God's forgiveness. The priest represents Christ in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and is given the power to absolve sins in His name. It does not matter how long it has been since our last confession we will encounter the love and mercy of Jesus. We will have an opportunity to be cleansed of our sin. The Third Sunday of Lent presents us with the account of the Samaritan woman who meets Jesus at Jacob’s well in the city of Sychar. It is interesting to note that she comes to the well at noon. This was highly unusual because this is the hottest part of the day. Most people would draw water in the morning or evening and avoid midday. Why was she doing this? The Gospel tells us that the woman had a troubled past filled with broken relationships (five failed marriages). Perhaps, people were gossiping about her and she was embarrassed. For whatever reason, the Samaritan woman seemed to want to avoid people; however, she ended up encountering someone who changed her life forever. Jesus offered her acceptance, love, and forgiveness. He helped her to acknowledge her sins and she received mercy. She drank of the “living water” and was cleansed and given new hope. Each time we celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation we have an opportunity to meet Christ just like the Samaritan woman. We come to Him with our sins and He offers us mercy. We leave forgiven and healed, ready to proclaim to others that we have encountered Christ. Most Reverend Gerard Bergie, D.D.