To Worship God in Spirit and in Truth

Today is the third Sunday of the Lent Season. The Church celebrates the first Rite of Scrutiny for the catechumens who are going through their final preparation for theie baptism in Easter Eve. In the reading today, we heard the famous passage of the dialogue between Jesus and a Samaritan woman. In this story, there are many features to meditate upon. In particular, I would focus on the topic of worship.

The Samaritan woman did not have a happy background. She had had five husbands and the man she was living with at the moment was not her husband. Jesus started a dialogue with her and guided her gradually away from her plight at the moment and to seek eternal life. In their dialogue, the Samaritan woman asked Jesus where they should worship God. Since the Solomon kingdom was split, the Israelites in the north and those in the south worshipped God at different locations. Jesus answered the Samaritan woman.
But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him.
God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24).
What does it mean to worship God in spirit and truth?

In the gospel of John, the word "truth" appears 27 times in 22 verses. Sometimes, it simply means true --- "of a truth", e.g. 6:14, 7:40.  It also appears in a few famous verses such as:
and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free (John 8:32).
Jesus said to him (Thomas), "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me (John 14:6).
In the Last Supper, Jesus mentioned the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of Truth (14:17, 15:26, 16:13). In his long prayer during this Last Supper, Jesus prayed to God to sanctify his disciples through His word which is the truth (17:17, 19). Jesus is the Word of God. He is the truth.
When we read all the way back to John 1, we will see a favourite formula: "grace and truth" (John 1:14, 17), I am sure this phrase carries a special meaning other than the literal ones. So, what does it mean to worship God in spirit and truth?

In the study of Sacramental Theology, we came to the theory of Casel. In order to understand sacraments, Casel looked at the history of salvation which reached its climax in the redemptive work of Jesus. Today, the Church continues Jesus' redemptive project through the celebration of sacraments. Therefore, according to Casel, the highest form of God-man relationship is in man's worship of God. In worshipping God, man enters into the mystery of Christ, partaking in Christ's worship. On the one hand, Christ's worship glorifies God. On the other, it sanctifies man. The Church makes use of symbols and rituals to make this redemptive work present in liturgy (A Rendezvous with Christ --- from celebration to mystery, by Archbishop Savio Hon, SDB, 1995, pg. 385)

This theory offers a possible interpretation of the text. Jesus is the truth and we should worship God in the Holy Spirit and in Jesus. So, we have entered the New Testament. We no longer worship God through burnt offerings and holocaust etc. We worship God through Jesus.

Dear Lord, we can enjoy a foretaste of eternal life when we worship with You. I thank You. Hide me in the shadow of Your wings. Amen.