3rd Sunday of Lent

 Jesus says to the Samaritan woman: "But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him." (Jn 4: 23) The question I ask is, are we such worshippers and how do we know? We know that there are sadly divisions among Christians and even among Catholics about the correct way in which to give proper worship to God. Throughout history there has even been much violence between those who disagree on what this means. The key, for Christians, is surely the interpretation of the injunction of the Lord at the Last Supper to: "Do this in memory of me." We have advantage not only of the Scriptures, including the teachings of St Paul on the Holy Eucharist, but also of the testimony of the Church Fathers, Papal Magisterium and the uninterrupted Tradition of the Church. When we enter the liturgy, therefore, we must be attentive to these teachings so that we are not ultimately worshipping in a manner inconsistent with the example and person of Christ. This is not a question of legalism. Sometimes priests will say: "Say what is black, do what is in the red" however, there is a need for engagement of the heart. We need not only to obey the Church and its liturgy but also to love it. Our love of the Church will help us to love the Lord and to be guided and informed by the Holy Spirit. let us always strive therefore to worship in spirit and in truth.