Father Thomas Welbers' Homily

This morning at the 11:00 Mass, my homily was addressed to the Elect and Candidates who are preparing for their full initiation into the Catholic Church at Easter. What I had to say to them is important for you as well, because you are the community of God’s faithful people, whom these Elect and Candidates are seeking to join in full communion of Christian life in union with Jesus Christ.

In the earliest days of the Church, Lent was seen for those approaching baptism as a time of purification and enlightenment – the time when we are called by the Lord to remove the obstacles from our lives that hinder his light from shining fully into every aspect of our lives and, through us, into our world. From the earliest days also, the entire community of the faithful has used this time to renew our commitment, to let the Lord’s love purify us more and more from all that is not of him – from our sinful blindness, pride, and selfishness – and to live more by the Lord’s light rather than our own.

This Sunday, and the following two Sundays during Lent, the Church traditionally celebrates the “Scrutinies” of the Elect. The Gospel readings for these days lend themselves especially to self-reflection. Today’s opening prayer of the Mass asks that we may allow God’s word to enlighten us so that we may share in the fullness of life and limitless truth.

This openness to God’s word is modeled for us today by the woman of Samaria, whose encounter with Jesus led her step by step to her own profession of faith. Notice that Jesus does not begin with teaching or instruction, but with a request, “Give me a drink.” His initiative in our lives is to come to us needy, to ask us to share what we have. In his conversation with her, he gradually leads her to an understanding of the gift he has to give, metaphorically referred to as “Living Water,” but eventually named as Spirit and truth. And this realization in turn prompted her to share, going back into the town and share the good news she had experienced.

Jesus does the same thing in our lives. We should not look on our faith primarily in terms of obligation or responsibility. Instead, look on it as gift as the “living water” that Jesus promised to give. Our Lenten reflections are intended to help us to increase our eagerness to deepen the gift of faith and new life, to remove any barriers that may still prevent us from receiving the fullness of faith and new life that is ours through the sacraments of initiation – Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist.

And so, like the Samaritan woman, may our path through Lent guide us into a deeper faith.

© 2005 Thomas Welbers