Today’s liturgy, the Third Sunday of Lent, speaks to us of the water that stills our deepest thirst: Christ himself.

In the first reading, we see the people of Israel complaining because they lack water. Even though the Lord has freed them from slavery, they cannot bear a small difficulty and begin to murmur. Reflecting on this episode, we can recognise something in today’s world: we have so many things, yet we are often dissatisfied and always want more. Those who have power want to dominate even more; those who possess great wealth desire to accumulate more. When we try to satisfy only our material needs, without finding what truly fills our hearts, we end up empty.

In the Gospel, Jesus meets a Samaritan woman who comes to draw water from the well. The dialogue between Jesus and the Samaritan woman is very interesting and rich in meaning. I would like to focus on one point: Jesus is thirsty and asks the woman for a drink, but at the same time, He is the true source of living water. The Samaritan woman was not only looking for water to quench her body’s thirst, but without knowing it, she desired the living water that satisfies the heart.

Like the Samaritan woman, we too must discover what is truly important and necessary for our lives. When the woman understands who Jesus is, she runs to tell others and becomes a witness.
Our world today is also thirsty: thirsty for peace, for true and lasting peace. This authentic peace is found only in God. Jesus’ teaching is precisely this: to build true peace. For this reason, we are called to follow him.

As St Paul says in the second reading, we are at peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us therefore pray for the peace that the world so badly needs. In God we find our hope. And hope does not disappoint, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Amen.