Adam, in the Garden of Eden, lived a life without chaos and pain.  He did not know life without God.  All was good. It was a life of discovery and joy until Adam broke the covenant with God and disobeyed the one commandment God gave him- not to eat the fruit of the Tree of Life.  Life went downhill from there.  Adam’s sons, Cain and Able, fought resulting in one killing the other.  Adam’s family experienced pain, hunger, physical and mental hardships because he had broken the covenant. 

 Fast forward generations and Noah’s world was a continuation of the same pain and suffering.  For Noah, and those who followed God’s way, life had its blessings.  These followers were the minority, though; men and women had turned their backs to God and chose creature comforts instead of following God’s precepts.  God decided to punish the world and when the rains came, Noah and his family, who had followed God’s laws, watched as the earth disappeared.  For 40 days the people on the ark saw everything vanish.  But after the rains came new life.  To Noah life was salvation.  When God spoke to Noah and his family, he talked about His bond with all creation.  The covenant God made was with all living things – plants, animals, and Noah’s family.  And the sign of this covenant – the rainbow, tying earth to heaven – a token of God’s love.

How are you living the promise, the covenant God has made?  Are you adrift on the sea of life?  Are the rains still coming down?  The Church is like the ark, floating through the chaos, the storms of life.  Stay aboard and it will take you to safety.  As you listen to the readings this Sunday, search for God’s words to you.  This Sunday He is telling us that His plans are for us. The readings remind us To Live the Promise; Live the Covenant

 · 2^nd Sunday of Lent – 2.28 – Covenant with Abraham

· Abraham is saved from killing his son and is promised that his descendants would be “as numerous as the stars.”

· 3^rd Sunday of Lent – 3.7 – Covenant with Moses

· Israel is brought out of slavery in Egypt and receives the 10 Commandments.

· 4^th Sunday in Lent – 3.14 – Called back to the covenant

· Israel loses sight of the covenant and God sends His prophets to them.

· 5^th Sunday in Lent – 3.21 – Announcing the New Covenant

· Jeremiah tells Israel a new covenant is coming.

Friday, Stations of the Cross at 7 pm in the church. If you would like to lead the Stations of the Cross, please see the sign up sheet in the back of the church.

  “What are you looking for?” Jesus asked, which he follows with an invitation to “come and see,” in response to the disciples’ question about where he is staying. Of course, Jesus knew what they were seeking; is it not what we all seek — peace, hope, salvation? Jesus calls them, and indeed us as well, to accept his invitation to find those things, and so much more, in him.

 Regardless of where Jesus resides physically, we know from his teaching later in John’s Gospel, what he longs to show us is where he abides. In John 15:4-16, Jesus shares the blessing of abiding with him; there, we can bear much fruit in our faith, receive what we, and most importantly, know the Father’s glory.

Jesus’ invitations present an opportunity for us to contemplate what we are looking for and to take stock of our current situation. Do you know what it is you seek in this world? Are you open to truly be a disciple of Jesus Christ? Can you leave behind your expectations, trusting the goodness of Jesus’ invitation, and follow God’s perfect will for your life?

 Without waiting for the early disciples to respond, knowing their hearts and that the Kingdom of Heaven holds everything they seek, he invites them to come and see. Some of Jesus’ disciples came and stayed with him because they had heard him preach. Moved by the promise, hope, mercy, and life he offered, they directly accepted the invitation from him. However, like Peter, others came to follow Jesus after someone else extended an invitation to “come and see” themselves.

 Peter’s brother Andrew’s willingness to evangelize brought Peter to become a disciple of the Lord. Andrew’s love for Peter moved him to share the truth and joy he had found. How blessed to have someone care enough to step out in faith and share the life found only in Jesus — no matter how uncomfortable they may feel or how their testimony may be received.

 Those who believe inspire others to believe. John’s Gospel also introduces us to the Samaritan woman Jesus meets at the well. Her encounter with Christ spurs a conversion so dramatic, she cannot keep it to herself. Transformed by his love, mercy, and hope of a life where she no longer has to thirst for acceptance and redemption, she leaves her past behind and becomes an unlikely evangelist. Moved by her transformation from accepting Jesus’ invitation to come and see — she goes out immediately to share the Good News — causing a ripple effect of discipleship.

 The lives of the people she encounters and invites, are never the same once they accept the invitation to follow and abide in the truth and love offered by Jesus. One of the most powerful moments in John’s Gospel (4:41-42) occurs when we learn many more have come to believe. And those she has testified to come back saying, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One truly is the Savior of the world.”

 The power and beauty of evangelization manifests in the conversion of hearts when an invitation leads to a personal encounter with Christ and the choice to remain and abide with him. We may recognize our journey within these many roads to discipleship; which of these paths is yours? Will we pay forward what we have received? Do we have the courage and strength to follow Jesus’ example and invite others to come and see? When we, like Andrew and the woman at the well, tell others about finding the Messiah, we become part of the hope of discipleship present in John’s Gospel. We become conduits for others to encounter the truth and grace found only in Jesus Christ.

Allison Gingras