A perfect number

I must admit that many times I “zone out” during Sunday homilies, especially if the homilist is prone to use the same formula week after week.  In this case, the pastor of the church I’ve been attending of late starts every homily with a (poorly told) joke and tries to tie the readings into the punch line of the joke.  He is from India and has an accent, but not so bad that one can’t understand him.  His biggest problem comes from trying to speak too fast and he will either mispronounce words or leave them out entirely….usually.  I found myself fascinated by his take on the Gospel today.  It was an angle I felt the Holy Spirit was telling me to share in my blog.

Permeating through today's readings is a substance essential to life: water. Living in the Central Valley of California where it gets quite arid throughout the summer, I can relate with the people grumbling to Moses of their thirst. We all can relate to being parched for water, and we know the cool and refreshing feeling of water hitting our dried lips and quenching our thirst.  Amid our fasting and sacrificing during this season of Lent, we are reminded of the ways in which our souls thirst for God.  Whether it is longing for a juicy steak on a Friday, or craving those sweets we gave up, we realize the desires of the flesh and the spirit are real.  These moments during Lent are opportunities that remind us of our need for God, which is far greater than our need for any of these earthly things we fast from.

Jesus, in the Gospel of John, encounters a Samaritan woman; the encounter occurs, significantly, at a watering hole, at Jacob’s Well.  Jesus asks her for a drink. She hesitates incredulous that a Jew—and male—would ask her a Samaritan—and a female—for a drink.   Jews typically despised and shunned Samaritans.  Jesus assures her that He will give her “living water”:  “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Jesus tells the woman “Go call your husband and come back.” The woman answered and said to him, “I do not have a husband.” Jesus answered her, “You are right in saying, ‘I do not have a husband.’ For you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true.”

Here is where my pastor caught my attention.  He pointed out that this exchange was, for him, a definition of our thirst for Jesus.  The woman has had 6 failed attempts at finding love and fulfillment, so she is wary of ANY man who tries to strike up a conversation with her.  Jesus is the seventh man who comes into her life and it is at a point when she is in sin and thirsting for spiritual fulfillment.  In the Bible, and in theology, the number seven pops up a lot; the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven days of Creation, the seven Sacraments.  Hence, the number seven is usually defined in theology as the number of perfection. Who could satisfy the woman’s thirst and need for God more perfectly than Jesus?

Touched deeply by Jesus, the woman spreads the word to her fellow Samaritans.  And the gospel tells us that many Samaritans came to believe in him.  Let us use this season of Lent to allow God to quench the deepest thirsts of our heart and soul, as we continue our journey towards the Resurrection.

A great gift

“If you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” (Matt 5:20-26)

Earlier today, I lost my temper at work. There was no excuse, and no reason. I was feeling sorry for myself and frustrated that my plans for a light day at work were being subverted by everything and anything. My back hurt, my head ached, and I needed to be somewhere else when a very small inconvenience set me off. I was so abusive verbally to two different co-workers who I respect greatly.

One of them understandably called me out for disrespect, but I wouldn't hear of it. I stormed off to do my task and let them handle the problem that as a matter of fact only I could handle.

As soon as I walked off in anger, I regretted it. I actually felt sick to my stomach and I couldn't organize my thoughts enough to handle the task at hand. I said to God “I'm sorry! I don't know what came over me!” As plain as day, He put the thought in my mind “If you recall that your brother has anything against you, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and them come and offer your gift.”

I knew that I had to apologize to both of my co-workers (one of whom was still crying at the harshness of my words). It was a very hard apology to make, but I knew I was wrong and I have been trying to go to Mass as much as I can during Lent, and I didn't want to have to face Jesus in the Eucharist after abusing Him so much in my treatment of my neighbors.

Both of them accepted my apology immediately when they realized it was heartfelt and sincere. I think they appreciated that I offered no excuses, only an apology. By the end of the day we were all laughing and working well with one another as if nothing had happened. In fact, I ended up promoting one of them to a higher position with the company, which has been the reason I've been working so hard the last 3 weeks training her for the new position.

So when I got back to the apartment tonight and read the readings for tomorrow in preparation for Mass, imagine my surprise and gratitude that God, through His Church chose to remind me that forgiveness is probably the greatest gift we can receive from one another.