Collect Series: Third Sunday Lent Year A

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Third Sunday Lent Year A Collect POSTED ON MAR 19 2017

The Collect for the Third Sunday of Lent reads as follows:

 

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.

 



REFLECTION QUESTIONS

 

In making this prayer tangible for during the week, the following reflection questions emerged:

 

 

1. What is my image of God?

2.  How does this image affect my capacity to accept God's mercy?

3.  What are the difficulties I experience in fasting, prayer and almsgiving?

4.  What steps will I take this week to overcome one of these barriers in each area of fasting, prayer and almsgiving?

5.  Why do I want fasting, prayer and almsgiving to be a  remedy for sin in my life this week?

6.  How is my conscience formed?  How can I improve the activeness of my conscience this week?

7.  What date this week will I make for receiving the sacrament of Reconciliation?

 

Today's gospel is from St John where we hear Christ telling us that the water He shall give will turn into a well for eternal life.

If we stop to think about the role of water in our lives- the fact that our body is made up of two thirds of water and without water, we become dehydrated  quite quickly and can become ill.   We also know that water is a precious commodity and not all countries have it flowing readily nor is it clean. 

When we consider these points, we realise how fortunate we are to have clean flowing water- just turn on the tap and there it is.  We are able to drink as much water as our bodies can manage.

We can then easily stop and thank God for it.

 GOSPEL REFLECTION

Theme: “Living Water”

 

Setting the Scene

Jesus, weary from His journey, sits beside Jacob’s well in Samaria at midday. A Samaritan woman approaches to draw water — an ordinary, daily task. What begins as a simple request, “Give me a drink,” becomes a profound encounter.

The conversation crosses boundaries: Jew and Samaritan, man and woman, teacher and outsider. Jesus speaks of “living water,” a gift that does not merely quench thirst temporarily but becomes a spring within, flowing toward eternal life.

The well becomes a place of revelation. What appears routine becomes transformative.

 

Recognising Our Thirst

This Gospel speaks deeply to the human condition. The woman comes for water, yet Jesus addresses a deeper thirst — one that cannot be satisfied by routine, habit, or surface solutions.

Lent invites us to pause at the well of our own lives and to recognise what we truly seek. Beneath our busyness and responsibilities lies a longing for meaning, forgiveness, belonging, and communion with God.

Jesus does not overwhelm the woman with doctrine. He begins with a request — humility first. He meets her where she is. The offer of living water unfolds gradually, patiently.

The water He offers is not external. It becomes internal — a spring within. Lent is not about external display, but interior renewal. God desires to create within us a source of grace that flows outward into daily life.

 

Personal Reflection

The woman’s encounter begins in misunderstanding and curiosity. It grows into recognition and transformation. Lent invites us into the same journey  from surface concerns to deeper communion.  This gospel therefore challenges us to consider where I experience thirst in my life at the spiritual, emotional and relational level.

We may wish to ponder what wells do I return to repeatedly, hoping they will satisfy? Do I allow Jesus to meet me in ordinary places — in conversation, in silence, in fatigue?

 

Questions for Reflection

·         What is the “well” in my daily routine where Christ might be waiting for me?

·         What thirst have I been trying to satisfy in my own way?

·         How open am I to receiving what I do not yet fully understand?

·         Where might God be inviting me to drink more deeply this Lent?

·         How can I allow living water to flow outward in compassion and service?

 

Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus,
You meet me in the ordinary places of my life
and speak to the thirst within my heart.

Give me the grace to receive
the living water You offer.
Renew me from within,
that I may become a source of hope and mercy for others.
Amen.