Sunday 24th January '16 ~ Luke 1:1-4, 4:14-21

The prologue to Luke’s Gospel is almost like the opening credits of a major blockbuster movie, there’s something exciting about it. We don’t really know who Theophplis was, possibly a patron of Luke’s, but his name also means ‘Lover of God’ and in that sense this Gospel is addressed to all ‘lovers of God’.

In the synagogue, Jesus is handed the scroll from Isaiah. It is one of the most powerful passages in the New Testament as Jesus sets out his mission, his manifesto. The uncomfortable truths contained within the passage cause the crowd to reject him. We know that in our world today good news has still to reach the afflicted, captives still await liberation, the oppressed are not free. So this is not a passage read in the past, it is very much alive, very much a vision for all to have and to work towards. Just as the scriptures are fulfilled in Jesus, they are also fulfilled in each of our lives. There are many causes we can be involved in, the refugee crisis, climate justice, homelessness, neighbourliness, community involvement. Wherever we are, in our own small ways, we can strive to make this dream a reality.

“Lord of the universe, look in love upon your people. Pour the healing oil of your compassion on a world that is wounded and dying. Send us out in search of the lost, to comfort the afflicted, to bind up the broken, and to free those trapped under the rubble of their fallen dream.” (Sheila Cassidy)

Give me this water......

The Woman at the Well (John 4:5-42)
This Gospel passage is a beautiful story of Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well. It is full of metaphor and you can approach it from many positions: the woman having an encounter, a spiritual experience, direction from God. Or Jesus, a spiritual guide, a teacher, a comforter, challenging. Jesus meets her where she is at. He shouldn’t even have acknowledged her as she is clearly an outcast, a Samaritan woman with a reputation. This woman experiences conversion and growth at this well, not just physical quenching of thirst, but a spiritual one.

We can think of the millions of women and girls who make the hazardous journey to wells every day in search of water.

According to the UN 1.1 billion people are ‘water insecure’. Trócaire is working in Malawi with their local partners to provide water security for many communities. By 2020 it is estimated that water available for agriculture in the region will drop by 50%. We all have a part to play in this with climate change one of the biggest contributors to water shortage. This is a problem that requires more than charity giving to solve. We need to radically change how we use the resources given to us; we need to be more conscious of how much we use; how we recycle; how we can walk or cycle more instead of driving. The woman in today’s Gospel experiences conversion at the well; we too are in need of conversion so that we live more in solidarity with those who are suffering and thirsting for justice.

'Give me this water so that I may not be thirsty’ (John 4:15.