Oblates of St. Francis de Sales

New DeSales World Newsletter - Summer Edition

The Third Sunday of Lent (March 3, 2002)

Emphasis from the Book of Exodus
"Is the Lord in our midst or not?"

Salesian Perspective
Is the Lord in our midst or not? This question is as ancient as the Exodus account of the Israelites at Massah and Meribah and as current as our own tragedy of September 11. From generation to generation, it is a timely question, often raised in moments of crisis. Angry, frustrated and disillusioned, the Israelites-our spiritual ancestors-posed the question to Moses in the midst of the seemingly aimless desert trek on which they had been led. We ask the same question today as we seek the Lord in the midst of the anger, frustration and disillusionment still felt in the aftermath of 9/11. Moreover, it is the perfect question to reflect upon as we progress in our Lenten journey.

At the core of our being, we do believe that the Lord is in our midst. However, in our eagerness to have God spring water from the rock of our adversity, we often miss signs of the Divine already in our midst. In moments of crisis, those who encourage us with a kind word, good turn, or attentive ear reflect to us the immediacy of God's presence-a presence likewise experienced in Scripture heard, Eucharist shared and prayer poured out. Still, we panic and miss the obvious in our frantic search for the Lord. We forget that God is as near to us as the air we breathe--a mistake that the Samaritan woman almost makes in her own encounter with Jesus at the well. The Lord IS in her midst, but this spontaneous request for a drink from a male Jew is so astonishing that she almost fails to recognize who is speaking with her. Happily, she realizes that it could "possibly be the Christ" and gratitude stirs her to abandon water jar, run to town and announce to the people the Good News of her encounter with Jesus.

Whether in the desert or at the well, signs of God's presence are always in our midst and, like the Woman in the Gospel, this is something for which we should be grateful. The gratitude we feel and express for these signs produces trust-trust in God and trust in those who are signs of God's love for us. "Just trust in the Lord," St. Francis de Sales writes, "and He will continue to lead you safely through all things. Where you cannot walk, He will carry you in His arms." In gratitude for those times when we have been carried in the Lord's arms, may we become signs of God's presence for others.

Fr. John Gilvey, OSFS, a member of the Wilmington-Philadelphia
Province of the Oblates of Saint Francis de Sales, is a Speech Communications
and Theatre Professor at St. Joseph's College in Patchogue, New York.