Our Loving God

Third Sunday of Lent

08 March 2026

 

First Reading: Exodus 17:3-7

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9

Second Reading: Romans 5:1-2, 5-8

Gospel: John 4:5-42

 

Reflection

By: Anton B. Ocampo

As we progress on our Lenten journey, the Church invites us to reflect on the readings as a form of revelation. The One we humbly exalt with all our hearts continues to reveal Himself to us. In the readings for this specific Sunday, the Third Sunday of Lent, the One we humbly exalt with all our hearts and minds, introduces Himself as the source of mercy. He does not withhold His mercy but wholeheartedly shows it to us and gives it to us, despite our sinful nature.

In the First Reading, the Lord God shows His mercy and compassion to His chosen people, the Israelites, by providing them water from rock. Even though He instructed Moses to strike the rock in Horeb with his staff so that water will flow from the said rock, it is not Moses who gave the Israelites water. Rather, it is God Himself who provided the water. This is His response to the complaints made by His chosen people as they were journeying through the desert for 40 years before they made it to the Promised Land. By doing so, God showed His people how merciful and compassionate He is. The Second Reading focuses on the greatest act of God in which He showed His grace, mercy, compassion, and love to all. God did it through His Begotten Son who is also the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity and the Word Made Flesh, Christ Jesus. Even though humanity has committed numerous sins and offenses towards Him, which can no longer be counted by hand given how many there are, He still chose to show His grace, mercy, compassion, and love through Jesus Christ. In the Gospel, Jesus introduces Himself to the Samaritan woman at the well as the source of living water. By presenting Himself as the source of living water, Jesus highlights His mercy for all. His decision to become the source of living water stems from His great mercy, compassion, and love for all.

What should our response be to the Lord who has decided to show His great mercy, compassion, and love for us? Open ourselves to Him. As stated in the Responsorial Psalm for this Sunday: “If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts” (Psalm 95:8). In doing so, we exalt the Lord with wholehearted humility in our hearts and minds. This is what the Lord is looking for in us. 

Despite our sinful nature, the Lord has chosen to show His great mercy, compassion, and love to us. In response, let us exalt Him by opening our whole selves to Him and obey His will. 

    

Prayer

We humbly thank You, O Lord, for continuing to show us Your mercy, compassion, and love to us, despite our sinfulness. Help us to humbly open ourselves to You. Grant us the strength to listen and follow You throughout the days of our earthly journey. Amen.

Destructive Backer System

    

Second Sunday of Advent

10 December 2023

 

First Reading: Is 40:1-5, 9-11

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 85:9-10, 11-12, 13-14

Second Reading: 2 Pt 3:8-14

Gospel: Mk 1:1-8

 

Reflection

By: Bernard C. Borja

 

A driver was flagged by a traffic enforcer for using a lane in the highway which is exclusively for buses. As the vehicle stopped, the window rolled down with the driver shouting at the enforcer, “Why did you stop me? Don’t you know who I am? I am the nephew of Admiral Lieutenant five star over-the-moon under-the-bridge Officer General Juansim P. Le (fictional name, of course)! My uncle is a high-ranking official of this country, and he will fire you for not letting me pass!” He caused a scene by trying to hurt the traffic enforcer and left immediately. The day after, a video went viral on social media which was a recording of the incident. Two days after the incident, the driver was in a press conference publicly apologizing. He never got a reprimand or a violation ticket.

A manager was interviewing an applicant for a vacant position in the company. When the applicant introduced himself, he added and emphasized that his family is a friend of the vice president of the company. The applicant demanded a supervisory position and a higher salary, even though he does not have the skills required. The manager was ready to turn down the applicant, but the senior manager gave in to the applicant’s terms and hired him. A year after, the company dissolved the department where the hired supervisor worked because of too many problems that occurred since he was hired. He was transferred to another department, but the manager was fired.

How many times have we seen people resort to the backer system just to get ahead? Are we also guilty of mentioning famous people or those with high authority to be able to go through some procedures? Sometimes, people let the pride of being in the circle of someone higher go to their heads. They have the tendency of using someone to selfishly benefit in their own ways. In the Gospel, we are reminded that one person has all the humility to be worthy of preparing the way of someone mightier than him.

John the Baptist is the cousin of Jesus Christ. He preached repentance for the forgiveness of sins. People come to him to be baptized and they recognize him as a prophet. Yet, he never introduced himself having the same privilege as the Messiah. With a humble heart, he never lifts himself higher than the people whom he baptized just because he is a relative of Jesus. As he baptizes with water, he believes that this is a way of purifying the hearts of the people who repent and seek forgiveness, to be ready to receive the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ.

Many of us may be guilty of a destructive backer system even when we serve in the church. As we learn to know God deeper, we tend to develop a spiritual pride. This pride can either lead us to seek God more for us to be able to share His love to others or make us look at ourselves as more deserving of God’s love than others. Sinners that we are, we are not worthy of God’s love, and we never deserve the saving grace of God. It is only through repentance, and the love of Jesus Christ that we are able to receive God’s love fully, even though we are not worthy of it. There are also many times that we tend to use God as our backer and forget that we ought to prepare the way of bringing God to other people. One example of this is to take literally and out of context what the Apostle Paul said in one of his letters: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me…” A strength that harms other people can never come from a loving person, especially if it’s used only for self-gain. If we are not bringing Christ to others, or even preparing His way for others to receive Him, such strength is shallow and is only self-focused.

As we continue our journey this advent season, may we humble and remind ourselves that we need to prepare the way of the Lord and make His paths straight for those who need most of God’s love and mercy.

We also ask Our Lady of Loreto to pray for us today.  One of the most revered relics within the Christian world is the Holy House of Loreto. This small house, which measures 31×13 feet, rests today in Loreto, Italy, inside the Basilica of the Holy House. In the first century, the Apostles revered the Holy House when it was attached to the opening of a cave that completed the home of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph in Nazareth. It is also believed to have been the place where the Annunciation took place, making it the location where the Word became flesh within the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary (source: Our Lady of Loreto — My Catholic Life!).

Prayer

Dearest Lord, teach us to be generous and humble, for us to be able to serve You as we should. May we always remind ourselves that we are also sent ahead as messengers to be able to prepare the way of the Lord. We beg for the grace of humility that, like John the Baptist, we will be able to lead others to Christ, without being prideful of knowing that we continue to receive God’s love even though we are not worthy. We ask this in Jesus Mighty Name, AMEN.

Water Love

4th Sunday In Ordinary Time 31 January 2016

First reading   Jeremiah 1:4-5,17-19

In the days of Josiah, the word of the Lord was addressed to me, saying:

‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;

before you came to birth I consecrated you;

I have appointed you as prophet to the nations.

‘So now brace yourself for action.

Stand up and tell them

all I command you.

Do not be dismayed at their presence,

or in their presence I will make you dismayed.

‘I, for my part, today will make you

into a fortified city,

a pillar of iron,

and a wall of bronze

to confront all this land:

the kings of Judah, its princes,

its priests and the country people.

They will fight against you

but shall not overcome you,

for I am with you to deliver you –

it is the Lord who speaks.’

Psalm                                                                            Psalm 70:1-6,15,17

               

Second reading                                                          1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13

Be ambitious for the higher gifts. And I am going to show you a way that is better than any of them.

  If I have all the eloquence of men or of angels, but speak without love, I am simply a gong booming or a cymbal clashing. If I have the gift of prophecy, understanding all the mysteries there are, and knowing everything, and if I have faith in all its fullness, to move mountains, but without love, then I am nothing at all. If I give away all that I possess, piece by piece, and if I even let them take my body to burn it, but am without love, it will do me no good whatever.

  Love is always patient and kind; it is never jealous; love is never boastful or conceited; it is never rude or selfish; it does not take offence, and is not resentful. Love takes no pleasure in other people’s sins but delights in the truth; it is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope, and to endure whatever comes.

  Love does not come to an end. But if there are gifts of prophecy, the time will come when they must fail; or the gift of languages, it will not continue for ever; and knowledge – for this, too, the time will come when it must fail. For our knowledge is imperfect and our prophesying is imperfect; but once perfection comes, all imperfect things will disappear. When I was a child, I used to talk like a child, and think like a child, and argue like a child, but now I am a man, all childish ways are put behind me. Now we are seeing a dim reflection in a mirror; but then we shall be seeing face to face. The knowledge that I have now is imperfect; but then I shall know as fully as I am known.

  In short, there are three things that last: faith, hope and love; and the greatest of these is love.

Gospel                                                                       Luke 4:21-30

Jesus began to speak in the synagogue: ‘This text is being fulfilled today even as you listen.’ And he won the approval of all, and they were astonished by the gracious words that came from his lips They said, ‘This is Joseph’s son, surely?’

  But he replied, ‘No doubt you will quote me the saying, “Physician, heal yourself” and tell me, “We have heard all that happened in Capernaum, do the same here in your own countryside.”’ And he went on, ‘I tell you solemnly, no prophet is ever accepted in his own country.

  ‘There were many widows in Israel, I can assure you, in Elijah’s day, when heaven remained shut for three years and six months and a great famine raged throughout the land, but Elijah was not sent to any one of these: he was sent to a widow at Zarephath, a Sidonian town. And in the prophet Elisha’s time there were many lepers in Israel, but none of these was cured, except the Syrian, Naaman.’

  When they heard this everyone in the synagogue was enraged. They sprang to their feet and hustled him out of the town; and they took him up to the brow of the hill their town was built on, intending to throw him down the cliff, but he slipped through the crowd and walked away.

Reflection

By Anabelle Payod-Balla

There is a saying that "Familiarity breeds contempt." But let me add, "only if we allow it." We have also heard this line before, "The grass in greener on the other side." But there is a new version of this that says, "The grass is greener where you water it."

It is what we think and what we do that determines the outcome.

Why was Jesus not accepted in His home town? Is it because of His background as son of a carpenter? Or it is because of people's perspective of Him? The people have chosen to look at Him as a son of a carpenter rather than Someone who heals the sick, who casts out demons, who makes the blind see and the lame walk.

I remember the beautiful sermon from the wedding I recently attended. It was said that in marriage, what matters is not the love that the couple found in each other, but how much love they put into their relationship each day.

We need to water love to make it grow. It will not grow in itself. Same with faith, we need to feed it to make it grow stronger. We can also get to know better our loved ones, be more familiar with them and grow our love for them, not hate them. We can deepen our knowledge of God and the more we know Him, the more we can love Him.

We have a choice to love, to water love.

Prayer

Father, thank You for giving us the freedom to choose. Help us to choose wisely. To love more, to strengthen our faith, to get to know You better and to stay close to You always. In Jesus' Name, we pray. Amen.