3 Mar
Sun
3rd Sunday of Lent (A)
Ex. 17:3-7
Ps.94:1-2,6-7, 8-9
Rom. 5:1-2,5-8
Jn. 4:5-42 or 4:5-15, 19b-26, 39a, 40-42
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Home Page of Shalom
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As the elect (the candidates for Baptism) go through their first scrutiny today, they experience in the Gospel, Christ as the Living Water which offers eternal life. As the Samaritan woman is gradually led to discover who Jesus really is, we together with the elect, must deepen our relationship with Christ who is the only one who can quench our thirst and fill our longings.

During this time of grace and conversion, we must turn to Christ and acknowledge Him as our Saviour and to always trust in His ways. He knows what is best for us. Although things do not turn out the way we have hoped for, nevertheless,we must never doubt Him as the Hebrews did in the Exodus episode of the first reading. What is even more disastrous is that, we might harden our hearts! Let us pray that we never reach this stage in our faith journey to the point that we even lock the Holy Spirit out of our lives. We can never be saved if we reject the very means of our salvation.

Let this great love God has for us, melt our hearts to love others for who they are, children of God made in His image and likeness. Let this unconditional, sacrificial love of Christ be the fount from which we drink from and are sustained with, as we also share this living water with all who thirst for compassion and acceptance.



Lord Jesus, through my fervent conviction of who You are, help me to lead others to You, the source and fount of life.

DAILY OFFERING
Eternal Father, I offer You everything I do this day; my thoughts, words, joys and sufferings. Grant that, vivified by the Holy Spirit and united to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, my life this day may be of service to You and to others. I also pray that all those preparing for marriage discover in Sacrament the source of Christ's grace for living a fithful and fruitful love. Amen.

PRAYING WITH THE CHURCH
INTENTION
For the ecclesial organisations and groups engaged in social action, that in their testimony they may proclaim strongly and consistently the Gospel of Love.
Elaboration

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P R A Y I N G    W I T H    T H E    C H U R C H    

INTENTION : For the ecclesial organisations and groups engaged in social action, that in their testimony they may proclaim strongly and consistently the Gospel of Love.

It is the Church's desire that all social-charitable initiatives might always be inspired, in their implementation, by the immutable principles of the Gospel. There is danger, however, that professional organisations engaged in the social field risk losing the fundamental motivation for their existence: that is bearing witness to Christ's charity which the Church has the duty to communicate and to share with others.

In order to be effective, then, continual spiritual formation is needed for voluntary co-operators who wish to devote themselves to social action. All these initiatives tend to develop the awareness that the foundation and centre of our action is Christ, in whom the God of love revealed himself and gave himself to men and women. Consequently all those who welcome Christ follow him and answer the call to be faithful witnesses to it. This awareness must totally imbue the hearts and minds of individuals so that it also inspires the Communities they set up for organised action in support of underprivileged persons and communities suffering from material and moral poverty.

Being thus imbued and formed it becomes necessary that volunteers pray to draw Christ into their midst and have him accompany them.




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