Homily – Third Sunday of Lent – 2026

SCROLL DOWN FOR CHILDREN’S LITURGY QUESTIONS

FATHER SIXMUND HENRY

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, during this holy season of Lent, the Church
continues to invites us to look deeper into our hearts and our relationship with God.
Lent is a journey—a journey of conversion, renewal, and hope. In today’s readings,
we see a powerful message about thirst: the thirst of the human heart and the way
God responds to that thirst.

In the first reading, the people of Israel are in the desert. They are thirsty and
begin to complain against Moses, asking, “Is the Lord in our midst or not?”
They are worried about their survival, but their deeper struggle is a lack of trust in
God. Even though they had seen God’s power many times, in that difficult moment
they began to doubt.

In the second reading, St. Paul reminds us of something very important: “The love
of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.” This means that
God has already given us His grace and His love. Even when we are weak or
struggling, God does not abandon us. His love is always present.

Then we come to the Gospel, where Jesus meets the Samaritan woman at the well
of Jacob. She comes to draw water as part of her daily routine. For her, it was just
another ordinary day. But that ordinary moment became a life-changing encounter
with Jesus.

Jesus asks her for a drink and begins a conversation with her. At first, she is
surprised, because Jews and Samaritans usually did not speak to each other. Yet
Jesus crosses that barrier and speaks to her with kindness and patience. Then Jesus
tells her about living water—water that satisfies the deepest thirst of the human
heart. This living water is the grace of God, the life of the Holy Spirit that gives
true peace and lasting joy. Like the people in the desert in the first reading, the
Samaritan woman also had a kind of thirst in her life. She was searching for
meaning, acceptance, and hope. And in that moment, she discovered that the one
who could truly satisfy her thirst was Jesus Himself. As their conversation
continues, her understanding grows little by little. At first, she sees Jesus as a
stranger, then as a prophet, and finally she begins to recognize that He is the
Messiah. Something beautiful happens next. She leaves her water jar behind, runs
back to the town, and tells the people: “Come and see a man who told me
everything I have done.” She immediately becomes a witness. She becomes
someone who brings others to Christ. Because of her testimony, many people from
that town come to believe in Jesus.

Brothers and sisters, this Gospel teaches us a very important lesson. The Samaritan
woman was not a teacher, a priest, or a religious leader. She was an ordinary
person. Yet after encountering Jesus, she became someone who helped others find
Him. The same is true for us. We may think that preaching the Gospel is only for
priests, missionaries, or religious leaders. But in reality, every Christian is called
to proclaim Christ. We can proclaim Christ in many simple ways in our daily
lives: by showing kindness to others, by helping those who are in need, by
forgiving those who hurt us, by speaking words of encouragement and hope, by
inviting someone to come to church, and by living our faith with sincerity and
love.

Sometimes the most powerful way of announcing Christ is not through long
speeches but through the witness of our lives. When people see our patience, our
faith, and our compassion, they begin to ask where that strength comes from. Just
like the Samaritan woman said to the people of her town, we too can help others
discover Jesus by simply saying in our own way: “Come and see.” As we
continue our Lenten journey, let us ask the Lord to fill our hearts with His living
water. May He renew our faith, strengthen our hope, and deepen our love. And
may we, like the Samaritan woman, never be afraid to share the joy of meeting
Christ with others. Amen.

CHILDREN’S LITURGY QUESTIONS

1. Did Jesus meet a Samaritan woman at a well? — Yes
2. Did the woman come to the well to buy clothes? — No
3. Did Jesus ask the woman for a drink of water? — Yes
4. Did the woman first think Jesus was just an ordinary traveler? — Yes
5. Did Jesus say He could give her living water? — Yes
6. Did the woman say that the well belonged to Abraham? — No
7. Did Jesus say the water He gives will last forever? — Yes
8. Did the woman run away immediately without speaking to Jesus? — No
9. Did Jesus know things about the woman’s life? — Yes
10. Did the woman say Jesus must be a prophet? — Yes
11. Did Jesus tell the woman He was the Messiah? — Yes
12. Did the woman keep the good news only for herself? — No
13. Did she go back to the town to tell other people about Jesus? — Yes
14. Did she invite people by saying “Come and see”? — Yes
15. Did the people refuse to listen to her at all? — No
16. Did many people from the town come to see Jesus? — Yes
17. Did they believe in Jesus after hearing Him? — Yes
18. Did Jesus talk about living water that gives eternal life? — Yes
19. Did the woman forget her water jar and leave it behind? — Yes
20. Does this Gospel teach us that we can also tell others about Jesus? — Yes