3rd Sunday of Lent 8 March 2026 Sermon

3rd Sunday of Lent  8 March 2026 The right God

We worship in spirit and in truth, Our Lord says to the woman at the well (Jn 4,23-24).

The Samaritans had a hazy idea of God, other nations even hazier still; but the Jews had the real God and the right God.

Their response to God was not brilliant but it does help, if we are having a conversation, to know whom we are addressing.

People have formed all sorts of notions about God – that there is more than one god, that gods are not much different from humans when it comes to faults and passions; they plot murder and revenge etc They were likely to get angry and demand obedience from the people.

In the absence of revelation from the real God mankind would struggle, though some of it was their own fault for not obeying. St Paul has put it that all people should be able to work out at least basic truths about God, from the signs around them. (Romans 1,19-20)

Coming to our own time, by now we know a lot about God because He has come down from Heaven to tell us!

We know this many things about God: because He has told us, shown us, or taught us through the Church, the wisdom and example of many saints.

1) God crated us to share in His life. He is not cruel as past ages often thought. He wants us to be happy, always happy, and intervenes to help us towards Heaven, with as much Heavan as can be had in the present world.

When we say, God loves us, that is what it translates to – He seeks to maximise our happiness, take away all sorrow.

2) God has revealed Himself carefully as humans have only limited capacity can only take in so much at a time. So Our Lord clarified much of the Old Testament teaching, not to abolish it, but to fulfil it (Mt 5,17).

3) There is only one God, who is eternal, all-powerful, all-knowing; has no beginning or ending. There cannot be any other god, because the one we worship is infinite. We cannot have half of infinity; it has to be all.

There is no part of time or place outside of the reach of God's knowledge and power.

4) God was not just for the Jews; the kingdom of God was not a political kingdom. It was spiritual and meant for all people, of whatever tribe or race.

The battle for clarity, for truth in worship has been going on ever since.

There is only one real God, and here He is, in this church, with us who profess union with Him. We become one with Him in filial obedience, trust and love.

And then the matter of loving others, what God does so much better than we do, but we learn as we go. We hate no one, reject no one, while we do insist on truth in worship and all dealings with God.  If we seek Him in humility of heart, we will get to know God better and eventually claim Him in Heaven.

Meanwhile, the woman went and fetched her neighbours to see this remarkable man (Jn 4,28-30). We must do the same insofar as we want everyone to know what we have experienced.

Plus we need those neighbours to take their place here with us, and supplement the Church’s presence and activity in such urgent times.