ወብዙኃን ኖሎት

፯ / የካቲት · 2027-02-14

Saint Paul expresses deep sorrow for those among his own people who have not accepted Christ. He recalls the covenants, promises, worship, and patriarchs entrusted to Israel. Nevertheless, salvation is not something anyone can demand because of ancestry, position, or human effort. It depends upon the mercy and calling of God. This teaching should lead Christians to humility. We cannot boast as though we created our own salvation. God’s grace is a gift. Those who have received mercy should pray for others, avoid spiritual pride, and become instruments through whom others encounter that same mercy. Saint John addresses believers at different stages of spiritual life: children whose sins have been forgiven, young people who have overcome evil, and mature believers who know the One who existed from the beginning. Every Christian is called to continue growing rather than remaining spiritually immature. John also warns against loving the sinful values of the world—the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, and pride in possessions or status. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God remains forever. In Acts, Saint Stephen recalls the history of Joseph. Joseph was rejected by his brothers, sold into suffering, and taken into Egypt, but God remained with him and used him to preserve life. What appeared to be abandonment became part of God’s plan for deliverance. The Gospel presents Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus crosses social, religious, and cultural boundaries to speak with her. He knows her wounded history but does not reject her. Instead, He offers her living water and reveals that the Father seeks worshippers who worship in Spirit and truth. True worship is not merely being present in a holy place or belonging to the correct community. It is allowing God to transform the heart. The Lord seeks people who receive His mercy, abandon sinful attachments, remain in His truth, and become wells of living water for others. Christ is the Shepherd who gathers people from divided communities into one flock. Those who drink the water He gives are called to leave behind prejudice, pride, spiritual dryness, and false worship.