Small Group Sharing
3rd Sunday of Lent (A)
Rushing Water
Did you ever play in the sprinklers when your were a child? Or, play a game in rushing water? This play gives us a brief hint to the power of rushing water. This power is at the root of the readings and activities this week.
FIRST READING The reading from Exodus spoke of impatience. Despite the presence of the Lord in the desert experience, the people groused about their lack. God provided for their want from an unexpected source, water flowing from a rock..
PSALM Psalm 95 is a praise hymn with a caveat. We are to praise God, but we should always keep the uncertain will of human nature in mind. We could easily turn on God, just as the people did in the Exodus experience at Meribah and Massah (see the First Reading).
SOURCE: Larry Broding | Word-Sunday
SECOND READING In his letter to the Romans, St. Paul reminds us that we are justified before God, but we do not and cannot justify ourselves. That is God’s prerogative alone. He is the source of all good things.
GOSPEL St. John presented one of the most memorable narratives in his gospel: the Samaritan woman at the well. At it’s heart, these verses speak of self-revelation. The woman showed herself to be immoral, but that did not stop Jesus from revealing himself to her. In doing so, he offered her the Spirit, the living water that wells up into eternal life.
Our Sunday Readings – Study Guide
SOURCE: Edrianne Ezell
Study Questions
- In the 1st reading, Isaiah prophesies a time when those who historically bore the brunt of enemy oppression, will be the first to see “a great light” of deliverance. How might this translate to spiritual terms? Who is in the best position to recognize that they need a Savior?
- In the 2nd Reading, how do rivalries among believers impede the spread of the Kingdom of God? According to Saint Paul, what core message of the Gospel should we be focusing on?
- In today’s Gospel, how does Jesus react to John’s imprisonment?
- How had the land been “sitting in darkness” (verse 16, Isaiah 8:22—9:1)? What was Jesus’ message? What is the relation between repentance, the kingdom of heaven, and the light?
- What invitations does Jesus give to the fishermen? What seems unusual about their response? What prior knowledge of Jesus do you think they had (verses 13, 17; John 1:35-42)? How might Zebedee (verse 21, 22) have felt?
- From how far away are the crowds coming (verses 23-25; refer to a Bible map)? What needs do they have? What are they learning about God’s kingdom?
- How has coming to know Jesus been like moving from darkness to light for you? In what ways does God’s kingdom seem present for you? In what ways does it seem “not yet”?
- Spiritually, are you still preparing the nets? Leaving the boat? Following hard after Jesus? Feeling left behind? What exactly does it mean to you to “repent”?