Papal Sunday Angelus Address 03.12.2023

 

POPE

• POPE FRANCIS
• ANGELUS
• GOSPEL

Pope at Angelus: The Lord promises us the living water of eternal life

At the midday Angelus on the Third Sunday of Lent, Pope Francis speaks about Jesus who is thirsty and the Samaritan woman at the well who gives Him water. The Pope explains how the Lord is also thirsty for our love as He promises to give us living water that makes eternal life overflow within us.

By Thaddeus Jones

Speaking to pilgrims in Saint Peter's Square for the Sunday Angelus, Pope Francis reflected on the day's Gospel reading, which recounts what he described as "one of the most beautiful and fascinating encounters" of Jesus when He meets the Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus asks her to give Him a drink, as He is thirsty and tired, with the hot, midday sun beating down.

Thirsty like us

The Pope observed that Jesus' asking for a drink shows how in Him "God made Himself one of us, thirsty like us," sharing our human condition, needs, and suffering. 

“In fact, Jesus’ thirst is not only physical. It expresses the deepest thirsts of our lives, and above all, a thirst for our love. And it will emerge at the culminating moment of His passion, on the cross, where, before dying, Jesus will say: “I thirst.””

Love quenches thirst

The Lord, who asks for a drink, also tells the Samaritan woman about the drink He can offer, the Holy Spirit’s living water "that makes eternal life overflow within us." The Pope explained how, "thirsty for love, Jesus quenches our thirst with love," by meeting us in our daily life, sharing our own thirst, and promising us this living water of eternal life.

Giving others a drink

The Pope said we must follow the example of Jesus, who cries out to us, sometimes in silence, to quench the thirst of a brother or sister in need. Our family members, friends, or coworkers may often ask us for a "drink", but they are thirsting for closeness, attention, or a listening ear, the Pope explained.

They may also thirst for the Word of God and need to find "an oasis in the Church where they can drink." This thirst is increased by the deserts of our frenetic societies, often marked by indifference and interior emptiness, the Pope observed.

And this thirst can also literally be one for water, essential for our survival and that so many people around the world lack due to drought or contamination. Even our "common home," the environment, suffers from thirst caused by water scarcity or pollution.

Living water

The Gospel today offers us the promise of "living water" and calls each one of us to become a "refreshing spring" for our brothers and sisters, the Pope concluded. 

“Today, therefore, we can ask ourselves: Do I thirst for God? Do I realize that I need His love like water to live? And then: Am I concerned about the thirst of others? May Our Lady intercede for us and sustain us on the way.”