Third Week of Lent
(Week beginning Monday 4 March)

Samoa may be a country surrounded by water, but access to clean drinking water is scarce in some areas, with many families facing extreme hardship as a result.

Leaia lives with her five children, husband, brother and sister-in-law on the island of Upolu in Samoa. Not having access to a reliable source of clean water caused Leaia a lot of worry.

Their home is not connected to a piped water system, so they had to rely solely on rainwater collected in old fridges. When their water ran out, Leaia had to walk with her young children to collect water in buckets and containers from a neighbour down the street.

With the support of Caritas Australia's local partner, Caritas Samoa, a water tank was installed at Leaia's home. She and her family now have a steady supply of clean drinking water at home. Next year, they will also have a toilet built, with the support of Caritas Samoa, which will further improve their health and living conditions.

“We are very thankful and grateful for the water tank. It has helped us so much and made our daily life easier,” Leaia said.

Watch Leaia’s Story

Please donate to Project Compassion. Together, we can help vulnerable communities face their challenges today and build a better tomorrow for all future generations.

You can donate through Project Compassion donation boxes at school.

Scripture: Exodus 20:1–17, 1 Corinthians 1:22–25, John 2:13–25

If the world is one great classroom, then God is a fantastic teacher. We have all had experience of this: the firm and gentle way that God opens our minds and helps us to understand.

Today’s readings show three different ways that God tries to get through to us. In the first reading, God sets some clear expectations for behaviour. They are all based around respect, both for the teacher and for those with whom we share the class! At the same time, God reminds us ‘I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the house of slavery.’ In other words, these are not random rules. They are designed to protect our deepest freedom. Disregarding them sends us back into captivity.

In the Gospel, Jesus is annoyed by people who think they know everything but who have not properly understood the basic lesson about justice and reverence. ‘Stop turning my father’s house into a market.’ Finally, St Paul speaks about wisdom. ‘God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.’ This is another style again: inviting us into a mystery, almost using riddles to get us to think outside the box.

It is no surprise that the Catholic community has always valued education and done a great deal to make it accessible for people around the world. Just as God teaches us, so too do we try to share the wonderful gift of learning with others. 

This week, Project Compassion brings us the story of Leaia, who lives in Samoa. With the support of Caritas Australia’s local partner Caritas Samoa, a water tank was installed in Leaia’s home to harvest rainwater. This means that her family can now have access to clean water to drink and bathe. The time that was previously spent walking to collect water in buckets from a neighbour down the street can now be used for other essential tasks and, most importantly, her children don’t have to miss out on school. School is a doorway that opens onto a better world. The Gospel today says that Jesus knew what a person had in them. We should try to be the same: to see the potential, not just the surface.