Instead of hiding in the comfortableness of our sin we must move ourselves towards the living water that will only be found through Christ our Lord. We can look far and wide to find something to fill this longing for this living water, but we will never find it unless we turn ourselves towards Christ our Lord. This Samaritan woman whom we encountered in our Gospel was in search for this living water, but was constantly filling this need with things which would always leave her empty. Only in Christ did this woman come to understand that He who was standing before her could fill her life and give it meaning and also come to heal her of the brokenness of her life. In the Sacraments of the Church we encounter an invitation to receive this living water into our life, and thus to be healed of our own brokenness and to receive the answer of truth that will really transform our souls. We have the sacrament of confession were our sins are forgiven and we have the Holy Eucharist where we receive this living water into our life.
Padre Pio reminds us of the importance of the living water that is found through the Church and the sacraments by saying: "Keep close to the Catholic Church at all times, for the Church alone can give you true peace, since she alone possesses Jesus, the true Prince of Peace, in the Blessed Sacrament." It is because of Christ truly present in the Holy Eucharist that we must have faith in the Church. When we come to commune with God in this sacrament we must do everything that is possible to properly prepare ourselves for such an encounter. If we truly believe that this is God whom we receive in the Eucharist we must begin to encounter our sin and to turn ourselves away from it. If we stay close to the Church and the sacraments we will no longer be enslaved by the weight of sin and will be able to encounter the living water that will lead us to everlasting life. Therefore, if we truly believe that this is Christ present in the Eucharist we must trust in the sacrament of confession to heal us for this great encounter with God.
Sometimes we desire to fool ourselves into believing that we do not need to make a confession and do not need to turn away from our sin. We reason to ourselves that Christ already knows our sin, but we must realize that in our Gospel Christ did know the sin of this woman and called her to order her life after something greater. In this manner she revealed the true error of her sin to Christ and He offered His mercy and forgiveness unto her. There is nobody in this Church who is without sin and thus in need of God's mercy. Pope Francis has said it is not God who tires of forgiving, but it us who tire of asking for forgiveness. No matter how entrenched our life has become with sin we must realize that with Christ's abundant mercy we are indeed forgiven and are given the life giving water which can help us conquer our temptation towards sin. When we prevail ourselves to the sacrament of confession we are professing our belief in Christ who dwells in the Holy Eucharist because we are taking this intimate exchange seriously.
On Wednesday at 7pm our parish community will have the opportunity to partake of the Sacrament of Confession at our Lenten penance service. Confessions are also heard at this parish Wednesday following our morning Mass, Saturday following our morning Mass, Saturday evening from 4-5pm, and anytime by appointment. Canon law states in this matter: "After having reached the age of discretion, each member of the faithful is obliged to confess faithfully his or her grave sins at least once a year" and "it is recommended to the Christian faithful that they also confess venial sins." May we make use of this sacrament of God's mercy, if it has been a few weeks or even years, may we return to this sacrament which will open wide our ability to receive the living water that is Christ our Lord into our life.
Today we have the opportunity to receive Christ present in the Holy Eucharist may we encounter this sacrament as the woman at the well encountered Christ. From her encounter with Christ she saw the true gravity of her sin and turned herself away from it. May we exclaim with her: "He told me everything I have done" as we move away from our sin through the grace that is given to us within the sacraments. May we return to the sacrament of confession, especially if we are burdened with the weight of mortal sin. May we allow this sacrament to heal us of the poison that we have invited into our life through our relationship to sin. If fear fills your heart due to not remembering how to make a good confession, do not allow that temptation to run you off, but instead come like the woman to the well who encountered the living water that is Christ. At this well our hearts will become filled with Christ's abundant mercy and we will be given the strength to continue our journey of faith.
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