Third Sunday of Lent
The third Sunday of Lent marks the half way point on our journey to Holy Week and Easter. As with any mid-point of a journey it is always good to stop and rest a while and take stock of how we are doing. In todays’ gospel Jesus stops for refreshment at a well in a Samaritan village while the disciples go into the town. While he is there he gets into conversation with a woman who comes along to get water from the well. She has a complex and colourful life story which include a number of relationships. Her personal situation is also an allegory which describes and exemplifies the complex relationship and differences of religious practices between Jews and Samaritans which is all interwoven into the conversation Jesus has with her. Our Lord treats her with respect and acceptance despite the generally accepted cultural and religious differences of the time. The woman and her fellow villagers acknowledge Jesus to be the Christ – the source of Living Water. The refreshment that he offers to her and to all who accept him as the Son of God, brings healing and reconciliation an end to divisions and draws us into unity with God the Father. May we too during this time of Lent draw refreshment and renewal of faith from Christ who is the Wellspring of Salvation.
The afternoon Choral Service at 3pm this Sunday is a reflection on the seven last words of Christ on the Cross. It is entitled ‘Les Sept Paroles Du Christ en Croix’ which sounds rather better than the English equivalent description ‘Seven Last Words’ it was composed by Cesar Franck. The music expressing the emotion and the depth of Jesus final words on the cross.
Last week we welcomed Kevin McCloud (Grand Designs) to the Cathedral to do some filming for a programme on his new series on Grade One listed buildings which will be shown later in the year.
The gatherings of protest groups and rallies have become a regular feature at the bottom of our Cathedral Piazza of a weekend. It is rare for organisers to ask our permission or even to contact us about such gatherings and even the police are not always informed. The groups begin by gathering on the pavement area but inevitably as the numbers increase they spill out on to our Cathedral land. We have largely turned a blind eye to this despite the damaging graffiti and the inconvenience this causes to general visitors to the Cathedral and activities taking place here. However we are now having to review our approach to all such rallies in future in view of a proposed forthcoming rally entitled ‘March for Jesus in Lent’ with regard to the concerns we have about the views and divisive nature of such a political gathering. Last week the Cathedral made a public statement to try and prevent this taking place. Please have a look at it on our website and on our social media.
Monsignor Anthony O’Brien
CATHEDRAL DEAN