The central story for the Third Sunday in Lent is the story of the Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus meets her at the well, and her life is changed. Let’s look at the readings for Sunday, March 8, 2026.
Gospel Text – John 4:5-15, 19b-26, 39a, 40-42.
To read the complete Gospel, please click the link above.
Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water. “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.”
Jesus said to her, “Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You people worship what you do not understand; we worship what we understand, because salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; and indeed, the Father seeks such people to worship him. God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Christ; when he comes, he will tell us everything.” Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who is speaking with you.”
First Reading – Exodus 17:3-7
Israel’s physical thirst exposes a deeper spiritual problem: they doubt God’s presence. They quarrel with Moses and test the Lord, asking, “Is the Lord among us or not?” God responds not with punishment but with water from the rock, revealing His patience and power.
Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9
The psalm invites joyful worship of the God who shepherds His people, but it also warns: ” Do not harden your hearts as Israel did at Massah and Meribah.” The psalm connects praise with obedience—true worship requires trust.
Second Reading – Romans 5:1-2, 5-8
Paul describes the new reality of grace: justified by faith, we have peace with God and hope that does not disappoint because God’s love is poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. Christ died for us “while we were still sinners,” showing that God meets us at our worst, not our best.
Gospel Reading – The Samaritan Woman – John 4:5-15, 19b-26, 39a, 40-42
At Jacob’s well, Jesus meets a Samaritan woman—an outsider—and offers living water that becomes a spring of eternal life. Her thirst is not just physical; it is spiritual, communal, and historical. Jesus reveals Himself as the Messiah and brings her whole community to faith. Jesus crosses boundaries to meet human need – at the time, the well was located in Samaria. Living water symbolizes the Spirit’s life within. A marginalized woman becomes a witness who leads others to Christ.
The Catholic View
The common theme across all the readings — God quenches human thirst with His faithful, transforming presence:
- Humanity thirsts—for water, for reassurance, for peace, for truth.
- People often respond with doubt, complaint, or misunderstanding.
- God responds with grace—water from the rock, a shepherd’s care, love poured out through the Spirit, and living water through Christ.
- The invitation is to trust, to move from hardness of heart to openness, from fear to faith, from isolation to witness.
This is very appropriate during our Lenten movement: we acknowledge our thirst, we stop trying to meet it ourselves, and we receive the life only God can give.
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Peace
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