Sunday Gospel reflections: Hope nurtured by the Holy Spirit
Third Sunday of Lent, Year A
Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit. (Romans 5:5)
As I write this, I am finishing my last week of chemotherapy for the treatment of a rare blood disease. At least I hope it will be the last for a long time. Such hope can be fleeting, I realize. I have been disappointed by such hopes in the past when the symptoms of my disease have returned and I have needed to restart therapy. We all have had our hopes dashed at one time or another.
But the hope I have in Christ, a hope poured into me by the Spirit, never disappoints. Such holy and pure hope is my strength and my deliverer, even as my health and the world sometimes seem to be collapsing around me. Such hope, held in faith and nurtured by Christ, the Church, and its sacraments, is what embraces me and draws me ever closer to a life that never ends. It is in this hope that we are called to live and work and find our meaning and purpose.
Holy Spirit, pour the hope of Christ into my life.
— Steve Givens
Exodus 17:3-7
Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9
Romans 5:1-2, 5-8
John 4:5-42
