MEDITATION TIPS (Episode 294)
Third Sunday of Lent
March 8, 2026

“Give me a drink” (John 4:7)

　“Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down by the well” (4:6). We can picture Jesus, weary from his travels. This Jesus asks the Samaritan woman, “Give me a drink.” We too often become weary on our journey through life and want to sit down and ask someone for a drink of water. What is that “water”? The clue lies in Paul’s words in the second reading: “Hope does not disappoint us” (Romans 5:5).

　The World Baseball Classic (WBC) has begun. The person who gives the most hope to the Japanese people right now is, of course, Shohei Ohtani. The originator of the two-way player, who excels at both pitching and hitting, is Babe Ruth. When Babe Ruth was still active, a boy named Johnny, who was a big fan of his and had a serious illness, wrote him a letter saying he wanted to meet him. To Johnny’s surprise, Babe Ruth actually came to visit him in the hospital. Johnny, who never dreamed that a superstar would actually come to see him, was deeply moved. Babe Ruth encouraged him, saying, “I’m going to hit a home run in the World Series. So you’re going to get better too.” Later, Johnny heard on the radio that Ruth had indeed hit a home run in the World Series. Moved by the news, Johnny rallied as promised and recovered from his illness, going on to live a long life. What Johnny, whose heart was parched by illness, was truly thirsting for was “hope.”

　Christian thinker Uchimura Kanzō said, “Wealth is a treasure. Knowledge is a treasure. Health is a treasure. Talent is a treasure. Willpower is also a treasure.” Wealth, knowledge, health, and talent are all important. However, the strongest will to achieve one’s goals, or hope, is the greatest treasure of all.

　Recently, the United States and Israel attacked Iran, and the world is becoming increasingly chaotic. In such a situation, many people may feel anxious about the future. However, the phrase “we don’t know what will happen in the future” has another important meaning. It is precisely because we do not know what will happen in the future that there are infinite possibilities and opportunities hidden there. Let us look at the future not with eyes of anxiety, but with eyes of possibility and opportunity. Hope is a new courage, and fate will surely open the way for those who know their destination, which is this hope.

　”What you see now is what you want.” If you want that type of car, you will immediately find it among the countless cars on the road. Young people who wish to marry someone wonderful will immediately find their ideal partner even in a crowd. Those who grumble that the world is full of bad things are deliberately seeking out the negative, secretly enjoying their complaints. Conversely, those who say the world is surprisingly full of good things unconsciously seek out the positive and contribute to others’ happiness. Events themselves are neither good nor bad. All events are neutral. It is how we perceive them that matters.

 　　　　　(Contributed by Father Yutaka Akabae)