∫ [Piano Music] ∫
The following presentation is made possible
By the generosity of the viewers
Of Sunday Mass at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls in Chicago.

Good morning and welcome
To Sunday Mass at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.

Today we celebrate the Third Sunday of Lent.

My name is Dan Riley.
I am joined by Tom McNamara and Molly Riley
And our celebrant is Father James Wallace.

∫ What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul? ∫
∫ What wondrous love is this, O my soul? ∫
∫ What wondrous love is this that calls the Lord of bliss, ∫
∫ To bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul, ∫
∫ To bear the dreadful curse for my soul. ∫

In the Name of the Father
And of the Son
And of the Holy Spirit.

-Amen.

The Lord be with you.

-And with your spirit.

Good morning, brothers and sisters.
Welcome for Mass at Mercy Home on this Third Sunday of Lent.

Let us prepare ourselves to celebrate these
Sacred Mysteries by calling to mind our sins.

You were sent to heal the contrite of heart.
Lord have mercy.

-Lord have mercy.

You came to call sinners.
Christ have mercy.

-Christ have mercy.

You are seated at the right hand of the Father
To intercede for us.

Lord have mercy.

-Lord have mercy.

May Almighty God have mercy on us,
Forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.

-Amen.

Let us pray.

O God, Author of every mercy and of all goodness,
Who in fasting, prayer, and almsgiving
Have shown us a remedy for sin.

Look graciously on this confession
Of our lowliness that we who are bowed down
By our conscience may always be lifted up by your mercy.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God forever and ever.

-Amen.

A reading from the Book of Exodus.

In those days in their thirst for water,
The people grumbled against Moses saying,

“Why did you ever make us leave Egypt?
“Was it just to have us die here of thirst
“With our children and our livestock?”

So Moses cried out to the Lord,

“What shall I do with this people?
“A little more and they will stone me.”

The Lord answered Moses, “Go over there
“In front of the people along with some
“Of the elders of Israel.

“Holding in your hand as you go,
“The staff with which you struck the river.

“I will be standing there in front of you
“On the rock in Horeb.

“Strike the rock and the water will flow from it
“For the people to drink.”

This, Moses did in the presence of the elders of Israel.

The place was called Massah and Meribah,
Because the Israelites quarreled there and tested the Lord,
Saying, “Is the Lord in our midst or not?”

The Word of the Lord.

-Thanks be to God.

∫ [Piano Music] ∫

∫ If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts. ∫
∫ If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts. ∫

∫ Come let us ring out our joy to the Lord. ∫
∫ Hail the rock who saves us. ∫
∫ Let us come into His presence giving thanks. ∫
∫ Let us hail Him with a song of praise. ∫

∫ If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts. ∫

A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans.

Brothers and sisters, since we have been justified by faith,
We have peace with God through our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Through Him we have gained access by faith
To this grace in which we stand and we boast
In hope of the glory of God.

And hope does not disappoint because the love of God
Has been poured into our hearts
Through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

For Christ, while we are still helpless,
Died at the appointed time for the ungodly.

Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person,
Though perhaps for a good person
One might even find courage to die.

But God proves His love for us
In that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

The Word of the Lord.

-Thanks be to God.

∫ [Piano Music] ∫

∫ Glory and praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ. ∫
∫ Glory and praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ. ∫

∫ Lord you are truly the Savior of the world. ∫
∫ Give me living water that I may never thirst again. ∫
∫ Glory and praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ. ∫

The Lord be with you.

-And with your spirit.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John.

-Glory to you, O Lord.

Jesus came to a town of Samaria called Sychar
Near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.

Jacob’s well was there.
Jesus, tired from His journey, sat down there at the well.
It was about noon.

A woman of Samaria came to draw water.

Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.”

His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.

The Samaritan woman said to Him,

“How can you, a Jew,
“Ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?
“For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.”

Jesus answered and said to her,

“If you knew the gift of God
“And who is saying to you, give me a drink,
“You would have asked Him
“And He would have given you living water.”

The woman said to Him,

“Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep.
“Where then can you get this living water?

“Are you greater than our father Jacob
“Who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself
“With his children and his flocks?”

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 worshipped 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 worshippers 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.”

Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in Him.

When the Samaritans came to Him,
They invited Him to stay with them,
And He stayed there two days.

Many more began to believe in Him because of His word,
And they said to the woman,

“We no longer believe because of your word,
“For we have heard for ourselves and we know
“That this is truly the Savior of the world.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

-Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

In the first reading in Exodus,
That scene that the Israelites are dying of thirst,
Or at least they think they’re dying of thirst,
It’s really not that bad, but they’re complaining
And they’re going to complain again
That they’re dying of hunger,
And then they’re going to complain
That the food they have isn’t good enough.

This is taking place early on in the Exodus journey,
And you’re all familiar with it, of course.

Moses is the leader of the Israelites,
And he’s got that staff of power and authority.

That’s the staff that he uses to wreak
The plagues on Pharaoh, and then he parts the Red Sea
With that staff, and to destroy Pharaoh’s army.

As they are moving through the Red Sea,
This is before they get to Mount Sinai
And get the Ten Commandments,
So again, it’s early on, and they stop.

Now, in my mind, when Moses takes that staff
And strikes the rock, I always had the image
That the rock is on the ground, and he kind of plunges it down,

And this water kind of bubbles up
Like a well from the ground,
Kind of like the well in our Gospel.

But not too long ago, I saw a very fascinating painting
Of this scene, and it had Moses,
Instead of plunging the staff down to the ground,
He actually had the staff spearing.

It was like a rock wall, and he speared
The rock wall above him with the staff,
And then the water flowed down more like a waterfall
As opposed to a well from the ground.

Now, either one could be correct,
But that image of spearing the rock above makes us
Think of Christ on the Cross when,
You all know, the soldier spears Him upon His death,
And blood and water flow down from His side.

And when the blood and water flow out of the
Pierced side of Christ, we say that that is one
Of the moments when the Church is born.

The Sacraments of Jesus’ body,
His Sacred Body, are coming out upon us,
And actually baptize Longinus,
The centurion who is spearing the side of Christ.

That image then of having your heart speared,
Okay, now metaphorically speaking,
But this is the idea of God really kind of penetrating us
Deeply with something authentic that we need to hear.

So this is how the Samaritan woman
Experiences that conversion.

Jesus doesn’t just preach to her,
He doesn’t kind of spew out theology and theory and whatnot,
But He addresses her heart.

This woman is suffering, and like we hear in the Gospel,

She’s been divorced five times,
She’s ostracized from the community,
So there’s a lot of pain going on in her heart,
Pain that’s caused from without by the people in her community,
But also something within her—she’s deeply wounded.

And this is what Jesus talks about.

He doesn’t just say, “Hey, you need to believe in God
Because, you know, if you don’t, you’re going to Hell,”
Or something.

No, He talks to her. He’s like, “Tell me your pain,” basically.

And when He speaks to her,
Remember the Word of God is very powerful.
It cuts through her, it pierces her heart.

And when she’s been pierced in her heart by Jesus,
Now all of a sudden
She’s fallen for Him,
And she loves Him, she becomes a convert.

And then she’s able to go out and go
To that same community that ostracized her,
And she’s able to preach to them about the truth of Jesus Christ,
And she gets that whole town in Samaria to convert.

So we’re always talking these days
About conversion and evangelization.

It’s not just like knowing the truth of the Faith and,
You know, preaching them and defending it or whatnot.

It’s having that authentic encounter with Christ,
Because we’re all wounded like that Samaritan woman.

We need to have Jesus pierce our hearts.
He wants to speak to us.

The question is, are we giving Him the space to do that?
Are we open to it?

Do we bring our hearts before the Lord?

That’s what the Samaritan woman was able to do.

Okay.

Last image I want to give you, all right.
So I gave this homily a couple years ago,

And I said, “Yo, her name—.”
I made up her name.
I called her Samaritan Sue.

Okay.

We need Samaritan Sue, this woman who’s wounded
And has that encounter with the Lord.

Okay.

Think of when I gave this homily, I was in Edison Park,
A neighborhood in Chicago on the North Side.

And I said, “Yo, who’s the Edison Park Eddie out there?”

Right now I live in Park Ridge.
I would say like, “Who’s the Park Ridge Paula?”
Or whatever.

We need you, whoever you are, whatever your town is—
Chicago Chuck, or Sheboygan Scott, whatever.

We need you people, all of us,
To be pierced in the heart for Jesus
So that we can go out and spread the Faith.

Amen.

And so let us now profess our Faith.

I believe in one God,
The Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth,
Of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
The Only Begotten Son of God,
Born of the Father before all ages.

God from God, Light from Light,
True God from true God,
Begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father.

Through Him all things were made.

For us men, for our salvation, He came down from Heaven,
And by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary
And became man.

For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
He suffered death and was buried,
And rose again on the third day
In accordance with the Scriptures.

He ascended into Heaven
And is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
And His Kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
Who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
Who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
Who has spoken through the Prophets.

I believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins,
And I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
And the life of the world to come.

-Amen.

We pray now for all the needs of our Church and of our world.

Our response to each prayer will be, “Lord, hear our prayer.”

For members of the Church,
May their faith be deepened this Lent.
We pray to the Lord.

-Lord, hear our prayer.

For those who are ill,
May they find the strength to heal through the Holy Spirit.
We pray to the Lord.

-Lord, hear our prayer.

For Mercy Home’s youth,

May their hearts be filled with hope.
We pray to the Lord.

-Lord, hear our prayer.

For peace in our world.
We pray to the Lord.

-Lord, hear our prayer.

Loving Father, please answer these prayers.
We make them with confidence through Christ our Lord.

-Amen.

∫ [Piano Music] ∫
∫ [Piano Music continues] ∫

Pray, brothers and sisters,
My sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God,
The Almighty Father.

-May the Lord accept the sacrifice
At your hands for the praise and glory of His Name,
For our good and the good of all His holy Church.

Be pleased, O Lord, with these sacrificial offerings
And grant that we who beseech pardon
For our own sins may take care to forgive our neighbor.

Through Christ our Lord.

-Amen.

The Lord be with you.

-And with your spirit.

Lift up your hearts.

-We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

-It is right and just.

It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation
Always and everywhere to give you thanks,
Lord, Holy Father, Almighty and Eternal God,
Through Christ our Lord.

For when He asked the Samaritan woman for water to drink,
He had already created the gift of Faith within her.
And so ardently did He thirst for her Faith
That He kindled in her the fire of Divine Love.
And so we too give you thanks
And with the Angels praise your mighty deeds, as we acclaim:
∫ [Piano Music] ∫
∫ Holy, Holy, Holy; ∫
∫ Lord, God of hosts. ∫
∫ Heaven and Earth are full of your glory. ∫
∫ Hosanna in the highest. ∫
∫ Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord. ∫
∫ Hosanna in the highest. ∫
You are indeed Holy, O Lord, the fount of all holiness.
Make holy therefore these gifts, we pray,
By sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall
So that they may become for us
The Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
At the time He was betrayed
And entered willingly into His Passion,
He took bread and giving thanks, broke it,
And gave it to His disciples saying,
“Take this, all of you, and eat of it,
For this is My Body, which will be given up for you.”
In a similar way, when supper was ended,

He took the chalice and once more giving thanks,
He gave it to His disciples saying,

“Take this, all of you, and drink from it,
For this is the chalice of My Blood,
The Blood of the new and Eternal Covenant,
Which will be poured out for you and for many,
For the forgiveness of sins.

Do this in memory of Me.”

The mystery of Faith.

∫ [Piano Music] ∫

∫ When we eat this Bread and drink this cup ∫
∫ We proclaim your death, O Lord, until you come again. ∫

Therefore, as we celebrate
The memorial of His death and Resurrection,
We offer you, Lord, the Bread of Life
And the chalice of salvation,
Giving thanks that you have held us worthy
To be in your presence and minister to you.

Humbly we pray that partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ,
We may be gathered into one by the Holy Spirit.

Remember, Lord, your Church spread throughout the world
And bring her to the fullness of charity,

Together with Leo, our Pope,
And Blase, our Bishop and all the clergy.

Remember also our brothers and sisters
Who have fallen asleep in the hope of the Resurrection
And all who have died in your mercy.

Welcome them into the light of your face.

Have mercy on us all, we pray,
That with the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God,
Blessed Joseph, her spouse,
With the Blessed Apostles and all the Saints
Who have pleased you throughout the ages,
We may merit to be coheirs to Eternal Life
And may praise and glorify you through your Son, Jesus Christ.

Through Him and with Him and in Him,
O God, Almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
All glory and honor is yours forever and ever.

∫ [Piano Music] ∫

∫ Amen, Amen, Amen. ∫

By the Savior’s command formed by Divine teaching,
We dare to say:

Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done
On Earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.

Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil,
Graciously grant peace in our days,
That by the help of your mercy,
We may be always free from sin and safe from all distress,
As we await the blessed hope
And the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

For the Kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,
Now and forever.

Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your Apostles,
“Peace I leave you, My peace I give you,”
Look not on our sins, but on the Faith of your Church,
And graciously grant her peace and unity
In accordance with your will,
Who live and reign forever and ever.

Amen.

The peace of the Lord be with you always.

-And with your spirit.

Let us offer each other the sign of peace.

Peace be with you, brothers and sisters.

God bless you this day, this Third Sunday of Lent.
We hope it’s going well for you.
We’re praying for you.

Thank you for sending us your intentions.

Please continue to do so, so we can pray for you.
Remember you at the Altar.

On behalf of Father Scott Donahue
And everyone here at Mercy Home,
Thank you for your support.

And God bless you this day.

∫ [Piano Music] ∫

∫ Lamb of God; ∫
∫ You take away the sins of the world, ∫
∫ Have mercy on us. ∫

∫ Lamb of God; ∫
∫ You take away the sins of the world, ∫
∫ Have mercy on us. ∫

∫ Lamb of God; ∫
∫ You take away the sins of the world, ∫
∫ Grant us peace. ∫

Behold the Lamb of God.
Behold Him who takes away the sins of the world.

Blessed are those called to the Supper of the Lamb.

Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof,
But only say the word and my soul shall be healed.

∫ [Piano Music] ∫

For those of you at home,
Please turn to page six in your TV Mass Guide
And join in singing our Communion song,
“The Steadfast Love of the Lord.”

∫ O God of all the broken, ∫
∫ Look and see: your children die; ∫
∫ They are grieving, lost, forsaken. ∫
∫ Do you hear them when they cry? ∫
∫ Yet, even now, we remember, ∫
∫ And we hope, still we hope: ∫
∫ For the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, ∫
∫ God’s mercies never come to an end. ∫
∫ They are new every morning, ∫
∫ New every morning. ∫
∫ How great is your faithfulness, ∫
∫ Great is your faithfulness, O God! ∫

∫ [Piano Music] ∫

∫ O God, do not keep silent ∫
∫ While the strong oppress the weak. ∫
∫ While your children groan and suffer, ∫
∫ Have you no kind word to speak? ∫
∫ Yet, even now, they remember, ∫
∫ And they hope, still they hope: ∫
∫ For the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, ∫
∫ God’s mercies never come to an end. ∫
∫ They are new every morning, ∫
∫ New every morning. ∫
∫ How great is your faithfulness, ∫
∫ Great is your faithfulness, O God! ∫

And now together we’ll recite the prayer
For the children of Mercy Home.

Our Lady of Mercy,
We pray that you will guide, protect,
And bless all boys and girls
Who this day have a home called Mercy.

May they find the Father’s mercy
As we offer them our hearts
In the Name of your Son, Jesus Christ.

May they see God’s mercy in action
Through our love, prayers, and sacrifices.

Let us pray.

As we receive the pledge of things yet hidden in Heaven
And are nourished while still on Earth
With the Bread that comes from on high,
We humbly entreat you, O Lord,

That what is being brought about in us in mystery
May come to true completion
Through Christ our Lord.

-Amen.

I hope you have a wonderful week,
And a wonderful rest of your day.

The Lord be with you.

-And with your spirit.

Bow down for the blessing.

Direct, O Lord, we pray, the hearts of your faithful
And in your kindness grant your servants this grace,
That abiding in the love of you and their neighbor,
They may fulfill the whole of your commands

Through Christ our Lord.

-Amen.

And may Almighty God bless you,
The Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

-Amen.

Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.

-Thanks be to God.

∫ [Piano Music] ∫

∫ O sacred head surrounded ∫
∫ By crown of piercing thorn ∫
∫ O bleeding head so wounded ∫
∫ Reviled and put to scorn ∫
∫ The power of death comes o’er you ∫
∫ The glow of life vacates ∫
∫ Yet Angel hosts adore you ∫
∫ And tremble as they gaze ∫
∫ In this your bitter Passion ∫
∫ Good Shepherd, think of me ∫
∫ With your most sweet compassion ∫
∫ Unworthy though I be ∫
∫ Beneath your Cross abiding ∫
∫ Forever would I rest… ∫

Hello, my friends. As you know, as I know,
This TV ministry at Mercy Home is so important.

It allows us to gather wherever you may be
To participate in the prayer of the Church.

It allows us to pray for one another
And how important it is.

It allows you and me to pray for the children
Here at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.

We’re nourished by our presence together
And by the celebration of the Eucharist.

I just want to take this opportunity
To thank you so very much
For the ways in which you support this Mass
Here at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.

Please consider doing that going forward as well.

May God bless you and your family and your friends
For all you do for the TV Mass at Mercy Home and for our children.

The music for the broadcast of Sunday Mass at Mercy Home
Is generously provided by GIA Publications Incorporated
And its World Library Publications Division.

∫ [Piano Music] ∫

∫ [Piano Music] ∫
The following presentation is made possible
By the generosity of the viewers
Of Sunday Mass at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls in Chicago.

Good morning and welcome
To Sunday Mass at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.

Today we celebrate the Third Sunday of Lent.

My name is Dan Riley.
I am joined by Tom McNamara and Molly Riley
And our celebrant is Father James Wallace.

∫ What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul? ∫
∫ What wondrous love is this, O my soul? ∫
∫ What wondrous love is this that calls the Lord of bliss, ∫
∫ To bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul, ∫
∫ To bear the dreadful curse for my soul. ∫

In the Name of the Father
And of the Son
And of the Holy Spirit.

-Amen.

The Lord be with you.

-And with your spirit.

Good morning, brothers and sisters.
Welcome for Mass at Mercy Home on this Third Sunday of Lent.

Let us prepare ourselves to celebrate these
Sacred Mysteries by calling to mind our sins.

You were sent to heal the contrite of heart.
Lord have mercy.

-Lord have mercy.

You came to call sinners.
Christ have mercy.

-Christ have mercy.

You are seated at the right hand of the Father
To intercede for us.

Lord have mercy.

-Lord have mercy.

May Almighty God have mercy on us,
Forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.

-Amen.

Let us pray.

O God, Author of every mercy and of all goodness,
Who in fasting, prayer, and almsgiving
Have shown us a remedy for sin.

Look graciously on this confession
Of our lowliness that we who are bowed down
By our conscience may always be lifted up by your mercy.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God forever and ever.

-Amen.

A reading from the Book of Exodus.

In those days in their thirst for water,
The people grumbled against Moses saying,

“Why did you ever make us leave Egypt?
“Was it just to have us die here of thirst
“With our children and our livestock?”

So Moses cried out to the Lord,

“What shall I do with this people?
“A little more and they will stone me.”

The Lord answered Moses, “Go over there
“In front of the people along with some
“Of the elders of Israel.

“Holding in your hand as you go,
“The staff with which you struck the river.

“I will be standing there in front of you
“On the rock in Horeb.

“Strike the rock and the water will flow from it
“For the people to drink.”

This, Moses did in the presence of the elders of Israel.

The place was called Massah and Meribah,
Because the Israelites quarreled there and tested the Lord,
Saying, “Is the Lord in our midst or not?”

The Word of the Lord.

-Thanks be to God.

∫ [Piano Music] ∫

∫ If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts. ∫
∫ If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts. ∫

∫ Come let us ring out our joy to the Lord. ∫
∫ Hail the rock who saves us. ∫
∫ Let us come into His presence giving thanks. ∫
∫ Let us hail Him with a song of praise. ∫

∫ If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts. ∫

A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans.

Brothers and sisters, since we have been justified by faith,
We have peace with God through our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Through Him we have gained access by faith
To this grace in which we stand and we boast
In hope of the glory of God.

And hope does not disappoint because the love of God
Has been poured into our hearts
Through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

For Christ, while we are still helpless,
Died at the appointed time for the ungodly.

Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person,
Though perhaps for a good person
One might even find courage to die.

But God proves His love for us
In that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

The Word of the Lord.

-Thanks be to God.

∫ [Piano Music] ∫

∫ Glory and praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ. ∫
∫ Glory and praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ. ∫

∫ Lord you are truly the Savior of the world. ∫
∫ Give me living water that I may never thirst again. ∫
∫ Glory and praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ. ∫

The Lord be with you.

-And with your spirit.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John.

-Glory to you, O Lord.

Jesus came to a town of Samaria called Sychar
Near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.

Jacob’s well was there.
Jesus, tired from His journey, sat down there at the well.
It was about noon.

A woman of Samaria came to draw water.

Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.”

His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.

The Samaritan woman said to Him,

“How can you, a Jew,
“Ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?
“For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.”

Jesus answered and said to her,

“If you knew the gift of God
“And who is saying to you, give me a drink,
“You would have asked Him
“And He would have given you living water.”

The woman said to Him,

“Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep.
“Where then can you get this living water?

“Are you greater than our father Jacob
“Who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself
“With his children and his flocks?”

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 worshipped 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 worshippers 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.”

Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in Him.

When the Samaritans came to Him,
They invited Him to stay with them,
And He stayed there two days.

Many more began to believe in Him because of His word,
And they said to the woman,

“We no longer believe because of your word,
“For we have heard for ourselves and we know
“That this is truly the Savior of the world.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

-Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

In the first reading in Exodus,
That scene that the Israelites are dying of thirst,
Or at least they think they’re dying of thirst,
It’s really not that bad, but they’re complaining
And they’re going to complain again
That they’re dying of hunger,
And then they’re going to complain
That the food they have isn’t good enough.

This is taking place early on in the Exodus journey,
And you’re all familiar with it, of course.

Moses is the leader of the Israelites,
And he’s got that staff of power and authority.

That’s the staff that he uses to wreak
The plagues on Pharaoh, and then he parts the Red Sea
With that staff, and to destroy Pharaoh’s army.

As they are moving through the Red Sea,
This is before they get to Mount Sinai
And get the Ten Commandments,
So again, it’s early on, and they stop.

Now, in my mind, when Moses takes that staff
And strikes the rock, I always had the image
That the rock is on the ground, and he kind of plunges it down,

And this water kind of bubbles up
Like a well from the ground,
Kind of like the well in our Gospel.

But not too long ago, I saw a very fascinating painting
Of this scene, and it had Moses,
Instead of plunging the staff down to the ground,
He actually had the staff spearing.

It was like a rock wall, and he speared
The rock wall above him with the staff,
And then the water flowed down more like a waterfall
As opposed to a well from the ground.

Now, either one could be correct,
But that image of spearing the rock above makes us
Think of Christ on the Cross when,
You all know, the soldier spears Him upon His death,
And blood and water flow down from His side.

And when the blood and water flow out of the
Pierced side of Christ, we say that that is one
Of the moments when the Church is born.

The Sacraments of Jesus’ body,
His Sacred Body, are coming out upon us,
And actually baptize Longinus,
The centurion who is spearing the side of Christ.

That image then of having your heart speared,
Okay, now metaphorically speaking,
But this is the idea of God really kind of penetrating us
Deeply with something authentic that we need to hear.

So this is how the Samaritan woman
Experiences that conversion.

Jesus doesn’t just preach to her,
He doesn’t kind of spew out theology and theory and whatnot,
But He addresses her heart.

This woman is suffering, and like we hear in the Gospel,

She’s been divorced five times,
She’s ostracized from the community,
So there’s a lot of pain going on in her heart,
Pain that’s caused from without by the people in her community,
But also something within her—she’s deeply wounded.

And this is what Jesus talks about.

He doesn’t just say, “Hey, you need to believe in God
Because, you know, if you don’t, you’re going to Hell,”
Or something.

No, He talks to her. He’s like, “Tell me your pain,” basically.

And when He speaks to her,
Remember the Word of God is very powerful.
It cuts through her, it pierces her heart.

And when she’s been pierced in her heart by Jesus,
Now all of a sudden
She’s fallen for Him,
And she loves Him, she becomes a convert.

And then she’s able to go out and go
To that same community that ostracized her,
And she’s able to preach to them about the truth of Jesus Christ,
And she gets that whole town in Samaria to convert.

So we’re always talking these days
About conversion and evangelization.

It’s not just like knowing the truth of the Faith and,
You know, preaching them and defending it or whatnot.

It’s having that authentic encounter with Christ,
Because we’re all wounded like that Samaritan woman.

We need to have Jesus pierce our hearts.
He wants to speak to us.

The question is, are we giving Him the space to do that?
Are we open to it?

Do we bring our hearts before the Lord?

That’s what the Samaritan woman was able to do.

Okay.

Last image I want to give you, all right.
So I gave this homily a couple years ago,

And I said, “Yo, her name—.”
I made up her name.
I called her Samaritan Sue.

Okay.

We need Samaritan Sue, this woman who’s wounded
And has that encounter with the Lord.

Okay.

Think of when I gave this homily, I was in Edison Park,
A neighborhood in Chicago on the North Side.

And I said, “Yo, who’s the Edison Park Eddie out there?”

Right now I live in Park Ridge.
I would say like, “Who’s the Park Ridge Paula?”
Or whatever.

We need you, whoever you are, whatever your town is—
Chicago Chuck, or Sheboygan Scott, whatever.

We need you people, all of us,
To be pierced in the heart for Jesus
So that we can go out and spread the Faith.

Amen.

And so let us now profess our Faith.

I believe in one God,
The Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth,
Of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
The Only Begotten Son of God,
Born of the Father before all ages.

God from God, Light from Light,
True God from true God,
Begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father.

Through Him all things were made.

For us men, for our salvation, He came down from Heaven,
And by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary
And became man.

For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
He suffered death and was buried,
And rose again on the third day
In accordance with the Scriptures.

He ascended into Heaven
And is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
And His Kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
Who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
Who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
Who has spoken through the Prophets.

I believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins,
And I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
And the life of the world to come.

-Amen.

We pray now for all the needs of our Church and of our world.

Our response to each prayer will be, “Lord, hear our prayer.”

For members of the Church,
May their faith be deepened this Lent.
We pray to the Lord.

-Lord, hear our prayer.

For those who are ill,
May they find the strength to heal through the Holy Spirit.
We pray to the Lord.

-Lord, hear our prayer.

For Mercy Home’s youth,

May their hearts be filled with hope.
We pray to the Lord.

-Lord, hear our prayer.

For peace in our world.
We pray to the Lord.

-Lord, hear our prayer.

Loving Father, please answer these prayers.
We make them with confidence through Christ our Lord.

-Amen.

∫ [Piano Music] ∫
∫ [Piano Music continues] ∫

Pray, brothers and sisters,
My sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God,
The Almighty Father.

-May the Lord accept the sacrifice
At your hands for the praise and glory of His Name,
For our good and the good of all His holy Church.

Be pleased, O Lord, with these sacrificial offerings
And grant that we who beseech pardon
For our own sins may take care to forgive our neighbor.

Through Christ our Lord.

-Amen.

The Lord be with you.

-And with your spirit.

Lift up your hearts.

-We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

-It is right and just.

It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation
Always and everywhere to give you thanks,
Lord, Holy Father, Almighty and Eternal God,
Through Christ our Lord.

For when He asked the Samaritan woman for water to drink,
He had already created the gift of Faith within her.
And so ardently did He thirst for her Faith
That He kindled in her the fire of Divine Love.
And so we too give you thanks
And with the Angels praise your mighty deeds, as we acclaim:
∫ [Piano Music] ∫
∫ Holy, Holy, Holy; ∫
∫ Lord, God of hosts. ∫
∫ Heaven and Earth are full of your glory. ∫
∫ Hosanna in the highest. ∫
∫ Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord. ∫
∫ Hosanna in the highest. ∫
You are indeed Holy, O Lord, the fount of all holiness.
Make holy therefore these gifts, we pray,
By sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall
So that they may become for us
The Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
At the time He was betrayed
And entered willingly into His Passion,
He took bread and giving thanks, broke it,
And gave it to His disciples saying,
“Take this, all of you, and eat of it,
For this is My Body, which will be given up for you.”
In a similar way, when supper was ended,

He took the chalice and once more giving thanks,
He gave it to His disciples saying,

“Take this, all of you, and drink from it,
For this is the chalice of My Blood,
The Blood of the new and Eternal Covenant,
Which will be poured out for you and for many,
For the forgiveness of sins.

Do this in memory of Me.”

The mystery of Faith.

∫ [Piano Music] ∫

∫ When we eat this Bread and drink this cup ∫
∫ We proclaim your death, O Lord, until you come again. ∫

Therefore, as we celebrate
The memorial of His death and Resurrection,
We offer you, Lord, the Bread of Life
And the chalice of salvation,
Giving thanks that you have held us worthy
To be in your presence and minister to you.

Humbly we pray that partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ,
We may be gathered into one by the Holy Spirit.

Remember, Lord, your Church spread throughout the world
And bring her to the fullness of charity,

Together with Leo, our Pope,
And Blase, our Bishop and all the clergy.

Remember also our brothers and sisters
Who have fallen asleep in the hope of the Resurrection
And all who have died in your mercy.

Welcome them into the light of your face.

Have mercy on us all, we pray,
That with the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God,
Blessed Joseph, her spouse,
With the Blessed Apostles and all the Saints
Who have pleased you throughout the ages,
We may merit to be coheirs to Eternal Life
And may praise and glorify you through your Son, Jesus Christ.

Through Him and with Him and in Him,
O God, Almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
All glory and honor is yours forever and ever.

∫ [Piano Music] ∫

∫ Amen, Amen, Amen. ∫

By the Savior’s command formed by Divine teaching,
We dare to say:

Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done
On Earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.

Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil,
Graciously grant peace in our days,
That by the help of your mercy,
We may be always free from sin and safe from all distress,
As we await the blessed hope
And the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

For the Kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,
Now and forever.

Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your Apostles,
“Peace I leave you, My peace I give you,”
Look not on our sins, but on the Faith of your Church,
And graciously grant her peace and unity
In accordance with your will,
Who live and reign forever and ever.

Amen.

The peace of the Lord be with you always.

-And with your spirit.

Let us offer each other the sign of peace.

Peace be with you, brothers and sisters.

God bless you this day, this Third Sunday of Lent.
We hope it’s going well for you.
We’re praying for you.

Thank you for sending us your intentions.

Please continue to do so, so we can pray for you.
Remember you at the Altar.

On behalf of Father Scott Donahue
And everyone here at Mercy Home,
Thank you for your support.

And God bless you this day.

∫ [Piano Music] ∫

∫ Lamb of God; ∫
∫ You take away the sins of the world, ∫
∫ Have mercy on us. ∫

∫ Lamb of God; ∫
∫ You take away the sins of the world, ∫
∫ Have mercy on us. ∫

∫ Lamb of God; ∫
∫ You take away the sins of the world, ∫
∫ Grant us peace. ∫

Behold the Lamb of God.
Behold Him who takes away the sins of the world.

Blessed are those called to the Supper of the Lamb.

Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof,
But only say the word and my soul shall be healed.

∫ [Piano Music] ∫

For those of you at home,
Please turn to page six in your TV Mass Guide
And join in singing our Communion song,
“The Steadfast Love of the Lord.”

∫ O God of all the broken, ∫
∫ Look and see: your children die; ∫
∫ They are grieving, lost, forsaken. ∫
∫ Do you hear them when they cry? ∫
∫ Yet, even now, we remember, ∫
∫ And we hope, still we hope: ∫
∫ For the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, ∫
∫ God’s mercies never come to an end. ∫
∫ They are new every morning, ∫
∫ New every morning. ∫
∫ How great is your faithfulness, ∫
∫ Great is your faithfulness, O God! ∫

∫ [Piano Music] ∫

∫ O God, do not keep silent ∫
∫ While the strong oppress the weak. ∫
∫ While your children groan and suffer, ∫
∫ Have you no kind word to speak? ∫
∫ Yet, even now, they remember, ∫
∫ And they hope, still they hope: ∫
∫ For the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, ∫
∫ God’s mercies never come to an end. ∫
∫ They are new every morning, ∫
∫ New every morning. ∫
∫ How great is your faithfulness, ∫
∫ Great is your faithfulness, O God! ∫

And now together we’ll recite the prayer
For the children of Mercy Home.

Our Lady of Mercy,
We pray that you will guide, protect,
And bless all boys and girls
Who this day have a home called Mercy.

May they find the Father’s mercy
As we offer them our hearts
In the Name of your Son, Jesus Christ.

May they see God’s mercy in action
Through our love, prayers, and sacrifices.

Let us pray.

As we receive the pledge of things yet hidden in Heaven
And are nourished while still on Earth
With the Bread that comes from on high,
We humbly entreat you, O Lord,

That what is being brought about in us in mystery
May come to true completion
Through Christ our Lord.

-Amen.

I hope you have a wonderful week,
And a wonderful rest of your day.

The Lord be with you.

-And with your spirit.

Bow down for the blessing.

Direct, O Lord, we pray, the hearts of your faithful
And in your kindness grant your servants this grace,
That abiding in the love of you and their neighbor,
They may fulfill the whole of your commands

Through Christ our Lord.

-Amen.

And may Almighty God bless you,
The Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

-Amen.

Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.

-Thanks be to God.

∫ [Piano Music] ∫

∫ O sacred head surrounded ∫
∫ By crown of piercing thorn ∫
∫ O bleeding head so wounded ∫
∫ Reviled and put to scorn ∫
∫ The power of death comes o’er you ∫
∫ The glow of life vacates ∫
∫ Yet Angel hosts adore you ∫
∫ And tremble as they gaze ∫
∫ In this your bitter Passion ∫
∫ Good Shepherd, think of me ∫
∫ With your most sweet compassion ∫
∫ Unworthy though I be ∫
∫ Beneath your Cross abiding ∫
∫ Forever would I rest… ∫

Hello, my friends. As you know, as I know,
This TV ministry at Mercy Home is so important.

It allows us to gather wherever you may be
To participate in the prayer of the Church.

It allows us to pray for one another
And how important it is.

It allows you and me to pray for the children
Here at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.

We’re nourished by our presence together
And by the celebration of the Eucharist.

I just want to take this opportunity
To thank you so very much
For the ways in which you support this Mass
Here at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.

Please consider doing that going forward as well.

May God bless you and your family and your friends
For all you do for the TV Mass at Mercy Home and for our children.

The music for the broadcast of Sunday Mass at Mercy Home
Is generously provided by GIA Publications Incorporated
And its World Library Publications Division.

∫ [Piano Music] ∫

∫ [Piano Music] ∫
The following presentation is made possible
By the generosity of the viewers
Of Sunday Mass at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls in Chicago.

Good morning and welcome
To Sunday Mass at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.

Today we celebrate the Third Sunday of Lent.

My name is Dan Riley.
I am joined by Tom McNamara and Molly Riley
And our celebrant is Father James Wallace.

∫ What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul? ∫
∫ What wondrous love is this, O my soul? ∫
∫ What wondrous love is this that calls the Lord of bliss, ∫
∫ To bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul, ∫
∫ To bear the dreadful curse for my soul. ∫

In the Name of the Father
And of the Son
And of the Holy Spirit.

-Amen.

The Lord be with you.

-And with your spirit.

Good morning, brothers and sisters.
Welcome for Mass at Mercy Home on this Third Sunday of Lent.

Let us prepare ourselves to celebrate these
Sacred Mysteries by calling to mind our sins.

You were sent to heal the contrite of heart.
Lord have mercy.

-Lord have mercy.

You came to call sinners.
Christ have mercy.

-Christ have mercy.

You are seated at the right hand of the Father
To intercede for us.

Lord have mercy.

-Lord have mercy.

May Almighty God have mercy on us,
Forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.

-Amen.

Let us pray.

O God, Author of every mercy and of all goodness,
Who in fasting, prayer, and almsgiving
Have shown us a remedy for sin.

Look graciously on this confession
Of our lowliness that we who are bowed down
By our conscience may always be lifted up by your mercy.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God forever and ever.

-Amen.

A reading from the Book of Exodus.

In those days in their thirst for water,
The people grumbled against Moses saying,

“Why did you ever make us leave Egypt?
“Was it just to have us die here of thirst
“With our children and our livestock?”

So Moses cried out to the Lord,

“What shall I do with this people?
“A little more and they will stone me.”

The Lord answered Moses, “Go over there
“In front of the people along with some
“Of the elders of Israel.

“Holding in your hand as you go,
“The staff with which you struck the river.

“I will be standing there in front of you
“On the rock in Horeb.

“Strike the rock and the water will flow from it
“For the people to drink.”

This, Moses did in the presence of the elders of Israel.

The place was called Massah and Meribah,
Because the Israelites quarreled there and tested the Lord,
Saying, “Is the Lord in our midst or not?”

The Word of the Lord.

-Thanks be to God.

∫ [Piano Music] ∫

∫ If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts. ∫
∫ If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts. ∫

∫ Come let us ring out our joy to the Lord. ∫
∫ Hail the rock who saves us. ∫
∫ Let us come into His presence giving thanks. ∫
∫ Let us hail Him with a song of praise. ∫

∫ If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts. ∫

A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans.

Brothers and sisters, since we have been justified by faith,
We have peace with God through our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Through Him we have gained access by faith
To this grace in which we stand and we boast
In hope of the glory of God.

And hope does not disappoint because the love of God
Has been poured into our hearts
Through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

For Christ, while we are still helpless,
Died at the appointed time for the ungodly.

Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person,
Though perhaps for a good person
One might even find courage to die.

But God proves His love for us
In that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

The Word of the Lord.

-Thanks be to God.

∫ [Piano Music] ∫

∫ Glory and praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ. ∫
∫ Glory and praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ. ∫

∫ Lord you are truly the Savior of the world. ∫
∫ Give me living water that I may never thirst again. ∫
∫ Glory and praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ. ∫

The Lord be with you.

-And with your spirit.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John.

-Glory to you, O Lord.

Jesus came to a town of Samaria called Sychar
Near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.

Jacob’s well was there.
Jesus, tired from His journey, sat down there at the well.
It was about noon.

A woman of Samaria came to draw water.

Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.”

His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.

The Samaritan woman said to Him,

“How can you, a Jew,
“Ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?
“For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.”

Jesus answered and said to her,

“If you knew the gift of God
“And who is saying to you, give me a drink,
“You would have asked Him
“And He would have given you living water.”

The woman said to Him,

“Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep.
“Where then can you get this living water?

“Are you greater than our father Jacob
“Who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself
“With his children and his flocks?”

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 worshipped 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 worshippers 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.”

Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in Him.

When the Samaritans came to Him,
They invited Him to stay with them,
And He stayed there two days.

Many more began to believe in Him because of His word,
And they said to the woman,

“We no longer believe because of your word,
“For we have heard for ourselves and we know
“That this is truly the Savior of the world.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

-Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

In the first reading in Exodus,
That scene that the Israelites are dying of thirst,
Or at least they think they’re dying of thirst,
It’s really not that bad, but they’re complaining
And they’re going to complain again
That they’re dying of hunger,
And then they’re going to complain
That the food they have isn’t good enough.

This is taking place early on in the Exodus journey,
And you’re all familiar with it, of course.

Moses is the leader of the Israelites,
And he’s got that staff of power and authority.

That’s the staff that he uses to wreak
The plagues on Pharaoh, and then he parts the Red Sea
With that staff, and to destroy Pharaoh’s army.

As they are moving through the Red Sea,
This is before they get to Mount Sinai
And get the Ten Commandments,
So again, it’s early on, and they stop.

Now, in my mind, when Moses takes that staff
And strikes the rock, I always had the image
That the rock is on the ground, and he kind of plunges it down,

And this water kind of bubbles up
Like a well from the ground,
Kind of like the well in our Gospel.

But not too long ago, I saw a very fascinating painting
Of this scene, and it had Moses,
Instead of plunging the staff down to the ground,
He actually had the staff spearing.

It was like a rock wall, and he speared
The rock wall above him with the staff,
And then the water flowed down more like a waterfall
As opposed to a well from the ground.

Now, either one could be correct,
But that image of spearing the rock above makes us
Think of Christ on the Cross when,
You all know, the soldier spears Him upon His death,
And blood and water flow down from His side.

And when the blood and water flow out of the
Pierced side of Christ, we say that that is one
Of the moments when the Church is born.

The Sacraments of Jesus’ body,
His Sacred Body, are coming out upon us,
And actually baptize Longinus,
The centurion who is spearing the side of Christ.

That image then of having your heart speared,
Okay, now metaphorically speaking,
But this is the idea of God really kind of penetrating us
Deeply with something authentic that we need to hear.

So this is how the Samaritan woman
Experiences that conversion.

Jesus doesn’t just preach to her,
He doesn’t kind of spew out theology and theory and whatnot,
But He addresses her heart.

This woman is suffering, and like we hear in the Gospel,

She’s been divorced five times,
She’s ostracized from the community,
So there’s a lot of pain going on in her heart,
Pain that’s caused from without by the people in her community,
But also something within her—she’s deeply wounded.

And this is what Jesus talks about.

He doesn’t just say, “Hey, you need to believe in God
Because, you know, if you don’t, you’re going to Hell,”
Or something.

No, He talks to her. He’s like, “Tell me your pain,” basically.

And when He speaks to her,
Remember the Word of God is very powerful.
It cuts through her, it pierces her heart.

And when she’s been pierced in her heart by Jesus,
Now all of a sudden
She’s fallen for Him,
And she loves Him, she becomes a convert.

And then she’s able to go out and go
To that same community that ostracized her,
And she’s able to preach to them about the truth of Jesus Christ,
And she gets that whole town in Samaria to convert.

So we’re always talking these days
About conversion and evangelization.

It’s not just like knowing the truth of the Faith and,
You know, preaching them and defending it or whatnot.

It’s having that authentic encounter with Christ,
Because we’re all wounded like that Samaritan woman.

We need to have Jesus pierce our hearts.
He wants to speak to us.

The question is, are we giving Him the space to do that?
Are we open to it?

Do we bring our hearts before the Lord?

That’s what the Samaritan woman was able to do.

Okay.

Last image I want to give you, all right.
So I gave this homily a couple years ago,

And I said, “Yo, her name—.”
I made up her name.
I called her Samaritan Sue.

Okay.

We need Samaritan Sue, this woman who’s wounded
And has that encounter with the Lord.

Okay.

Think of when I gave this homily, I was in Edison Park,
A neighborhood in Chicago on the North Side.

And I said, “Yo, who’s the Edison Park Eddie out there?”

Right now I live in Park Ridge.
I would say like, “Who’s the Park Ridge Paula?”
Or whatever.

We need you, whoever you are, whatever your town is—
Chicago Chuck, or Sheboygan Scott, whatever.

We need you people, all of us,
To be pierced in the heart for Jesus
So that we can go out and spread the Faith.

Amen.

And so let us now profess our Faith.

I believe in one God,
The Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth,
Of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
The Only Begotten Son of God,
Born of the Father before all ages.

God from God, Light from Light,
True God from true God,
Begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father.

Through Him all things were made.

For us men, for our salvation, He came down from Heaven,
And by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary
And became man.

For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
He suffered death and was buried,
And rose again on the third day
In accordance with the Scriptures.

He ascended into Heaven
And is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
And His Kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
Who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
Who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
Who has spoken through the Prophets.

I believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins,
And I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
And the life of the world to come.

-Amen.

We pray now for all the needs of our Church and of our world.

Our response to each prayer will be, “Lord, hear our prayer.”

For members of the Church,
May their faith be deepened this Lent.
We pray to the Lord.

-Lord, hear our prayer.

For those who are ill,
May they find the strength to heal through the Holy Spirit.
We pray to the Lord.

-Lord, hear our prayer.

For Mercy Home’s youth,

May their hearts be filled with hope.
We pray to the Lord.

-Lord, hear our prayer.

For peace in our world.
We pray to the Lord.

-Lord, hear our prayer.

Loving Father, please answer these prayers.
We make them with confidence through Christ our Lord.

-Amen.

∫ [Piano Music] ∫
∫ [Piano Music continues] ∫

Pray, brothers and sisters,
My sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God,
The Almighty Father.

-May the Lord accept the sacrifice
At your hands for the praise and glory of His Name,
For our good and the good of all His holy Church.

Be pleased, O Lord, with these sacrificial offerings
And grant that we who beseech pardon
For our own sins may take care to forgive our neighbor.

Through Christ our Lord.

-Amen.

The Lord be with you.

-And with your spirit.

Lift up your hearts.

-We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

-It is right and just.

It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation
Always and everywhere to give you thanks,
Lord, Holy Father, Almighty and Eternal God,
Through Christ our Lord.

For when He asked the Samaritan woman for water to drink,
He had already created the gift of Faith within her.
And so ardently did He thirst for her Faith
That He kindled in her the fire of Divine Love.
And so we too give you thanks
And with the Angels praise your mighty deeds, as we acclaim:
∫ [Piano Music] ∫
∫ Holy, Holy, Holy; ∫
∫ Lord, God of hosts. ∫
∫ Heaven and Earth are full of your glory. ∫
∫ Hosanna in the highest. ∫
∫ Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord. ∫
∫ Hosanna in the highest. ∫
You are indeed Holy, O Lord, the fount of all holiness.
Make holy therefore these gifts, we pray,
By sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall
So that they may become for us
The Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
At the time He was betrayed
And entered willingly into His Passion,
He took bread and giving thanks, broke it,
And gave it to His disciples saying,
“Take this, all of you, and eat of it,
For this is My Body, which will be given up for you.”
In a similar way, when supper was ended,

He took the chalice and once more giving thanks,
He gave it to His disciples saying,

“Take this, all of you, and drink from it,
For this is the chalice of My Blood,
The Blood of the new and Eternal Covenant,
Which will be poured out for you and for many,
For the forgiveness of sins.

Do this in memory of Me.”

The mystery of Faith.

∫ [Piano Music] ∫

∫ When we eat this Bread and drink this cup ∫
∫ We proclaim your death, O Lord, until you come again. ∫

Therefore, as we celebrate
The memorial of His death and Resurrection,
We offer you, Lord, the Bread of Life
And the chalice of salvation,
Giving thanks that you have held us worthy
To be in your presence and minister to you.

Humbly we pray that partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ,
We may be gathered into one by the Holy Spirit.

Remember, Lord, your Church spread throughout the world
And bring her to the fullness of charity,

Together with Leo, our Pope,
And Blase, our Bishop and all the clergy.

Remember also our brothers and sisters
Who have fallen asleep in the hope of the Resurrection
And all who have died in your mercy.

Welcome them into the light of your face.

Have mercy on us all, we pray,
That with the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God,
Blessed Joseph, her spouse,
With the Blessed Apostles and all the Saints
Who have pleased you throughout the ages,
We may merit to be coheirs to Eternal Life
And may praise and glorify you through your Son, Jesus Christ.

Through Him and with Him and in Him,
O God, Almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
All glory and honor is yours forever and ever.

∫ [Piano Music] ∫

∫ Amen, Amen, Amen. ∫

By the Savior’s command formed by Divine teaching,
We dare to say:

Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done
On Earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.

Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil,
Graciously grant peace in our days,
That by the help of your mercy,
We may be always free from sin and safe from all distress,
As we await the blessed hope
And the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

For the Kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,
Now and forever.

Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your Apostles,
“Peace I leave you, My peace I give you,”
Look not on our sins, but on the Faith of your Church,
And graciously grant her peace and unity
In accordance with your will,
Who live and reign forever and ever.

Amen.

The peace of the Lord be with you always.

-And with your spirit.

Let us offer each other the sign of peace.

Peace be with you, brothers and sisters.

God bless you this day, this Third Sunday of Lent.
We hope it’s going well for you.
We’re praying for you.

Thank you for sending us your intentions.

Please continue to do so, so we can pray for you.
Remember you at the Altar.

On behalf of Father Scott Donahue
And everyone here at Mercy Home,
Thank you for your support.

And God bless you this day.

∫ [Piano Music] ∫

∫ Lamb of God; ∫
∫ You take away the sins of the world, ∫
∫ Have mercy on us. ∫

∫ Lamb of God; ∫
∫ You take away the sins of the world, ∫
∫ Have mercy on us. ∫

∫ Lamb of God; ∫
∫ You take away the sins of the world, ∫
∫ Grant us peace. ∫

Behold the Lamb of God.
Behold Him who takes away the sins of the world.

Blessed are those called to the Supper of the Lamb.

Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof,
But only say the word and my soul shall be healed.

∫ [Piano Music] ∫

For those of you at home,
Please turn to page six in your TV Mass Guide
And join in singing our Communion song,
“The Steadfast Love of the Lord.”

∫ O God of all the broken, ∫
∫ Look and see: your children die; ∫
∫ They are grieving, lost, forsaken. ∫
∫ Do you hear them when they cry? ∫
∫ Yet, even now, we remember, ∫
∫ And we hope, still we hope: ∫
∫ For the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, ∫
∫ God’s mercies never come to an end. ∫
∫ They are new every morning, ∫
∫ New every morning. ∫
∫ How great is your faithfulness, ∫
∫ Great is your faithfulness, O God! ∫

∫ [Piano Music] ∫

∫ O God, do not keep silent ∫
∫ While the strong oppress the weak. ∫
∫ While your children groan and suffer, ∫
∫ Have you no kind word to speak? ∫
∫ Yet, even now, they remember, ∫
∫ And they hope, still they hope: ∫
∫ For the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, ∫
∫ God’s mercies never come to an end. ∫
∫ They are new every morning, ∫
∫ New every morning. ∫
∫ How great is your faithfulness, ∫
∫ Great is your faithfulness, O God! ∫

And now together we’ll recite the prayer
For the children of Mercy Home.

Our Lady of Mercy,
We pray that you will guide, protect,
And bless all boys and girls
Who this day have a home called Mercy.

May they find the Father’s mercy
As we offer them our hearts
In the Name of your Son, Jesus Christ.

May they see God’s mercy in action
Through our love, prayers, and sacrifices.

Let us pray.

As we receive the pledge of things yet hidden in Heaven
And are nourished while still on Earth
With the Bread that comes from on high,
We humbly entreat you, O Lord,

That what is being brought about in us in mystery
May come to true completion
Through Christ our Lord.

-Amen.

I hope you have a wonderful week,
And a wonderful rest of your day.

The Lord be with you.

-And with your spirit.

Bow down for the blessing.

Direct, O Lord, we pray, the hearts of your faithful
And in your kindness grant your servants this grace,
That abiding in the love of you and their neighbor,
They may fulfill the whole of your commands

Through Christ our Lord.

-Amen.

And may Almighty God bless you,
The Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

-Amen.

Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.

-Thanks be to God.

∫ [Piano Music] ∫

∫ O sacred head surrounded ∫
∫ By crown of piercing thorn ∫
∫ O bleeding head so wounded ∫
∫ Reviled and put to scorn ∫
∫ The power of death comes o’er you ∫
∫ The glow of life vacates ∫
∫ Yet Angel hosts adore you ∫
∫ And tremble as they gaze ∫
∫ In this your bitter Passion ∫
∫ Good Shepherd, think of me ∫
∫ With your most sweet compassion ∫
∫ Unworthy though I be ∫
∫ Beneath your Cross abiding ∫
∫ Forever would I rest… ∫

Hello, my friends. As you know, as I know,
This TV ministry at Mercy Home is so important.

It allows us to gather wherever you may be
To participate in the prayer of the Church.

It allows us to pray for one another
And how important it is.

It allows you and me to pray for the children
Here at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.

We’re nourished by our presence together
And by the celebration of the Eucharist.

I just want to take this opportunity
To thank you so very much
For the ways in which you support this Mass
Here at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.

Please consider doing that going forward as well.

May God bless you and your family and your friends
For all you do for the TV Mass at Mercy Home and for our children.

The music for the broadcast of Sunday Mass at Mercy Home
Is generously provided by GIA Publications Incorporated
And its World Library Publications Division.

∫ [Piano Music] ∫

In the first reading in Exodus,
That scene that the Israelites are dying of thirst,
Or at least they think they’re dying of thirst,
It’s really not that bad, but they’re complaining
And they’re going to complain again
That they’re dying of hunger,
And then they’re going to complain
That the food they have isn’t good enough.

This is taking place early on in the Exodus journey,
And you’re all familiar with it, of course.

Moses is the leader of the Israelites,
And he’s got that staff of power and authority.

That’s the staff that he uses to wreak
The plagues on Pharaoh, and then he parts the Red Sea
With that staff, and to destroy Pharaoh’s army.

As they are moving through the Red Sea,
This is before they get to Mount Sinai
And get the Ten Commandments,
So again, it’s early on, and they stop.

Now, in my mind, when Moses takes that staff
And strikes the rock, I always had the image
That the rock is on the ground, and he kind of plunges it down,

And this water kind of bubbles up
Like a well from the ground,
Kind of like the well in our Gospel.

But not too long ago, I saw a very fascinating painting
Of this scene, and it had Moses,
Instead of plunging the staff down to the ground,
He actually had the staff spearing.

It was like a rock wall, and he speared
The rock wall above him with the staff,
And then the water flowed down more like a waterfall
As opposed to a well from the ground.

Now, either one could be correct,
But that image of spearing the rock above makes us
Think of Christ on the Cross when,
You all know, the soldier spears Him upon His death,
And blood and water flow down from His side.

And when the blood and water flow out of the
Pierced side of Christ, we say that that is one
Of the moments when the Church is born.

The Sacraments of Jesus’ body,
His Sacred Body, are coming out upon us,
And actually baptize Longinus,
The centurion who is spearing the side of Christ.

That image then of having your heart speared,
Okay, now metaphorically speaking,
But this is the idea of God really kind of penetrating us
Deeply with something authentic that we need to hear.

So this is how the Samaritan woman
Experiences that conversion.

Jesus doesn’t just preach to her,
He doesn’t kind of spew out theology and theory and whatnot,
But He addresses her heart.

This woman is suffering, and like we hear in the Gospel,

She’s been divorced five times,
She’s ostracized from the community,
So there’s a lot of pain going on in her heart,
Pain that’s caused from without by the people in her community,
But also something within her—she’s deeply wounded.

And this is what Jesus talks about.

He doesn’t just say, “Hey, you need to believe in God
Because, you know, if you don’t, you’re going to Hell,”
Or something.

No, He talks to her. He’s like, “Tell me your pain,” basically.

And when He speaks to her,
Remember the Word of God is very powerful.
It cuts through her, it pierces her heart.

And when she’s been pierced in her heart by Jesus,
Now all of a sudden
She’s fallen for Him,
And she loves Him, she becomes a convert.

And then she’s able to go out and go
To that same community that ostracized her,
And she’s able to preach to them about the truth of Jesus Christ,
And she gets that whole town in Samaria to convert.

So we’re always talking these days
About conversion and evangelization.

It’s not just like knowing the truth of the Faith and,
You know, preaching them and defending it or whatnot.

It’s having that authentic encounter with Christ,
Because we’re all wounded like that Samaritan woman.

We need to have Jesus pierce our hearts.
He wants to speak to us.

The question is, are we giving Him the space to do that?
Are we open to it?

Do we bring our hearts before the Lord?

That’s what the Samaritan woman was able to do.

Okay.

Last image I want to give you, all right.
So I gave this homily a couple years ago,

And I said, “Yo, her name—.”
I made up her name.
I called her Samaritan Sue.

Okay.

We need Samaritan Sue, this woman who’s wounded
And has that encounter with the Lord.

Okay.

Think of when I gave this homily, I was in Edison Park,
A neighborhood in Chicago on the North Side.

And I said, “Yo, who’s the Edison Park Eddie out there?”

Right now I live in Park Ridge.
I would say like, “Who’s the Park Ridge Paula?”
Or whatever.

We need you, whoever you are, whatever your town is—
Chicago Chuck, or Sheboygan Scott, whatever.

We need you people, all of us,
To be pierced in the heart for Jesus
So that we can go out and spread the Faith.