Worship God In Spirit and In Truth

Worship In Spirit and Truth
A Reflection for the Third Sunday of lent
Based on the readings from: Exodus 17:3-7, Romans 5:1-8, John 4:5-42
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA
Mission Saints Sergius & Bacchus
www.missionstsergius.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry


This week’s readings have so much for us to reflect upon. Each of the readings has a lesson for us to ponder and if we do so, it will open our hearts and minds so that we too will proclaim, as the Samaritans do in today’s Gospel:“Now we no longer believe because of what you told us; we have heard him ourselves and we know that he really is the savior of the world’.
We hear Christ speaking to us on the pages of the Holy Scriptures written by those who were there at the time and their followers to whom they related them who transcribed them under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. If our hearts and minds are open to the Holy Spirit speaking within us we can discern God's truth. We need to listen with open hearts and minds to the Holy Spirit speaking within us today and discern essence of truth we perceive while comparing it with the differing teachings proclaimed by the various Catholic Councils , thereby knowing God’s will for us, in this age and time, through the inspiration of the Spirit.
The Gospel story is filled with lessons, that if we were to compare them against the social and political customs of the Christ's time and today we would realize that Christ broke many taboos of His day.
The Gospel begins with Christ breaking tradition and speaking to the Samaritan woman at the well.
This was in total contradiction to Jewish Religious law. Christ tells us that He came to bring a new covenant, in other words Christ proclaimed a new way of being, of relating and experiencing God. Christ then stayed there for a period of days teaching and at the end of that time the Samaritans came to accept Him as the promised of the ages while the Religious hierarchy rejected and feared Him.

Christ is said to have proclaimed; But the hour will come – in fact it is here already – when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth: that is the kind of worshiper the Father wants. God is spirit, and those who worship must worship in spirit and truth.’(John 4:23)
The hour is now for us to turn to God who created all things, for reasons known to Him alone, and to Christ who is the light come into the world to proclaim God’s truth, and light the way of truth for us, not mans idea of truth. By allowing the Holy Spirit to enlighten us in accord with the traditions and customs of the early church and and examining the reasons behind why some rituals and customs were eliminated we might be inspired to review the concept of reviving them in today's world, like the tradition of married priests and woman deacons and same sex Holy Unions.
Paul in his letter to the Romans reminds us that “the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given us. We were still helpless when at his appointed moment Christ died for sinful men.”
Christ came not for those who lived righteous lives but for those who were sinners to teach them the way, the truth and to be the light that will guide us all to eternal happiness. Christ suffered and died so that our sinfulness could be forgiven and forgotten.
The Holy Spirit is forever working today just as the Holy Spirit worked on that first Pentecost and in the guiding of the early Fathers of The Church and Patriarchs in the formative years of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.
I often ask God the same question Moses beseeches of God; “Moses appealed to the Lord.
‘How am I to deal with this people?” (Exodus 17: 4) when I am confronted by individuals who refuse to even consider that those who do not adhere to a singular concept of worship to Almighty God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are not true Christians. I usually ask them if they believe that God created all things and the response is usually “Of course”. I then ask them if they believe that everything God created was good, to which I get the same answer. I then remind them that if God created all people then all people are children of God and, as such, their prayers and their devotions are acceptable to God assuming they are offering them to the God of Isaac, Jacob, Jeremiah, Elijah, Moses, and David in the name of Jesus Christ who God himself, in last weeks Gospel, proclaimed ““This is my Son, the Beloved; he enjoys my favor. Listen to him.” (Matthew 17:5)
The people of Samaria listened and believed, the woman at the well believed, Paul tells us The love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given us. (Romans 5: 5). The love of God is the Truth and it is still being poured into our hearts if we but take the time to listen and seek the truth and desire God's infinite love.
Far too many individuals want every one and every thing to be exactly alike and they leave no room for diversity in celebrations or prayer practices. We know for a fact that diversity enriches educational experiences. We learn from experiences, beliefs, and perspectives that are different from our own, and these lessons can enrich our spiritual growth. Diversity challenges stereotyped preconceptions; it encourages critical thinking; and it helps us to develop respect for people of varied backgrounds while enriching our liturgical practices and even bring a deeper relationship in the Eucharistic Liturgy.
The Mass, Eucharistic Liturgy, is the most perfect prayer as it involves a gathering together of a faith community together to worship God, The admission our failures and the seeking of God's forgiveness for our failures, the the proclamation of the Word of God and a lesson or reflection on that word, the offerings of the people to Almighty God, proclamation of our faith in God and giving praise to God and is culminated in God giving us His beloved Son in the Eucharist and our being sent forth to live our life in accordance with Christ's teachings.
An example of diversity and how it enriches the Eucharistic liturgy is experienced yearly at the Religious Education Conference in Anaheim CA sponsored by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, where every day during the three day conference, Masses are celebrated exploring the cultural traditions of Native Americans, African Americans, Latinos, Filipino, Asian, and other groups. The vestments, music and prayers reflect the ethnic culture, dress and spirituality of the various ethnic groups. I have witnessed Eucharistic liturgies where dance was an intricate part of the liturgy. Jeremiah said that when Christ came “Then young women will dance and be glad. And so will the men, young and old alike. I will turn their sobbing into gladness. I will comfort them. And I will give them joy instead of sorrow”. Jeremiah 31:13) In light of this why shouldn't dance be incorporated into liturgical celebrations if it contributes to the spiritual depth of individuals attending?
All Prayer is communication with God whereby we offer thanks, petition and ourselves. At the offertory of the Eucharistic Liturgy we offer ourselves and the fruits of our labor to God in return God gives us the Bread of Life, Christ truly present in the Eucharist. For this we need to rejoice and be glad, even in this time of Lent as we reflect on the passion of Christ and what he was willing to endure on our behalf, we rejoice that God loves us so much He allowed His son to suffer so in order that we could attain Everlasting live or as Paul says: “what proves that God loves us is that Christ died for us while we were still sinners.”
Let us go forth today with open minds, hearts and souls ready to listen to our hearts for the Holy Spirit speaking and guiding us on our journey toward God. AMEN

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