Readings:

Ex. 17:3-7; Ps. 95; Rom: 5:1-2, 5-8; Jn. 4:5-42

In light of the recent declarations by the President, the World Health Organization, and the CDC, I would like to invite everyone to join in offering this prayer for all who are affected by the coronavirus pandemic:

Jesus Christ, you traveled through towns and villages “curing every disease and illness.” At your command, the sick were made well. Come to our aid now, in the midst of the global spread of the coronavirus, that we may experience your healing love. Heal those who are sick with the virus. May they regain their strength and health through quality medical care. Heal us from our fear, which prevents nations from working together and neighbors from helping one another. Heal us from our pride, which can make us claim invulnerability to a disease that knows no borders. Jesus Christ, healer of all, stay by our side in this time of uncertainty and sorrow. Be with those who have died from the virus. May they be at rest with you in your eternal peace. Be with the families of those who are sick or have died. As they worry and grieve, defend them from illness and despair. May they know your peace. Be with the doctors, nurses, researchers and all medical professionals who seek to heal and help those affected and who put themselves at risk in the process. May they know your protection and peace. Be with the leaders of all nations. Give them the foresight to act with charity and true concern for the well-being of the people they are meant to serve. Give them the wisdom to invest in long-term solutions that will help prepare for or prevent future outbreaks. May they know your peace, as they work together to achieve it on earth. Whether we are home or abroad, surrounded by many people suffering from this illness or only a few, Jesus Christ, stay with us as we endure and mourn, persist and prepare. In place of our anxiety, give us your peace. Jesus Christ, heal us.

Our readings today refer to two important aspects of our lives as Christians. The first is our faith in God; the second is our baptism by water. Moses had faith in God that striking the rock would produce water, and that water gave life to the Israelites. What this passage tells us is that the way God operates is very different from what we would expect from our own experience of the natural world. The natural world has its laws and processes, but God suspends the laws of nature to bring water from a stone. The key to this supernatural phenomenon is Moses’ faith in Almighty God.

Fast forward to the time of Jesus and the Early Church, and St. Paul reminds us that we have all been justified by faith in Jesus. Once again, God defies the laws of nature by sending his only begotten Son, Jesus, to deliver us from the wages of sin, which is death. Jesus redeems us by offering his own life in expiation for our sins. Paul says, “But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” That God gave his only Begotten Son as a sacrifice shows us how far God is willing to go to gather his people to himself. Jesus died for us so that we may have life in him.

Jesus’ conversation with the woman at the well also captures the importance of faith and baptism. It shows the woman slowly getting to know Jesus and what he is offering her. St. Augustine describes the woman as a symbol of the Church. Jesus says to her, “If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” What Jesus is saying to her is that he is himself the gift of God, he is the source of living water. The water that Jesus gives are the waters of baptism and our entry to eternal life. All she has to do is ask; all we have to do is ask. And what is the woman’s response? “Sir, give me this water…” Her desire for living water is the result of her encounter with Jesus. In the same way, we too, are encountering Jesus, not just through our Baptism, which is an ongoing reality, but through our faith, our prayers, our worship, our courage, and the sacraments.

What was the result of the woman’s encounter with Jesus? She leads the whole town to him. And what do the people of the town have to say when they encounter Christ? “We no longer believe because of your word; for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the savior of the world.” That is the gift of God; that is the gift of living water, quenching the thirst of all who come to the wellspring of Christ.

How will we respond to Jesus’ invitation for living water? How are we living out our baptism? Do we recognize the life of Christ dwelling within us? May our worship and celebration of the Eucharist today be a sign of our faith in Jesus, in his Real Presence, in his healing grace, and in his love for us.

The above prayer was taken from America Magazine.

Given during the COVID-19 pandemic.