Third Sunday of Lent
The story of the Samaritan woman is so dramatic and powerful that we could draw multiple themes from it. Add to it the very powerful story of the water from the rock in the first reading, these readings give us the possibility of an entire day’s retreat. I have chosen to focus on the second half of the story of the Samaritan woman as the theme of today’s homily. The common word that unites my homily is the word ‘story.”
1. New evangelization. Fr. Dave in his homily spoke about Benedict XVI’s emphasis on new evangelization. As I read the story of the woman at the well, I could not but help notice what a great evangelizer she was. Her starting point is her God-moment in the person of Christ. Then she makes her faith confession. And then she tells her story: “Come see the man who told me everything I have done.” She does not go about asking people, “Are you saved?” She does not go about asking people, “Have you accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior?” More importantly, she does not go about condemning and damming other people or telling everybody why they are wrong. She does not make other people guilty for who they are. She merely tells other people her story. For me, this is the “new evangelization.” I also love the end of the story. Other people from her village came to the woman and said, “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 Samaritan woman has faded into the background. We do not hear about her again. But Jesus has come to the forefront. He is the Savior of the world. And his story continues. This is the new evangelization that you and I should be engaged in.
2. What is your story? A few weeks back, I had preached about a conversation in the parish with those who had left the Catholic Church and those who had joined the Catholic Church. One of the people who have left the church told us about his experience in another church. He said that occasionally on a Sunday one of the things that they do is turn around to the person sitting next to them and ask, “What’s your story?” We were all taken up by this. See, I think that is exactly what Jesus did with the Samaritan woman. When he asked her to bring her husband, he is really asking her, “What’s your story? The Samaritan woman had a story before she met Jesus and a story after she met Jesus. Please do not get nervous because I am not going to ask you to do this. But really, “What’s your STORY?” “What YOUR story?” There is a whole world out there waiting to hear your story. “What’s your story?” But more importantly, what are you doing with your story? As I said in my first point, we have to tell our story, not because we are important but because the story of Jesus must continue to be told.
3. Thirdly, today’s second reading is my all-time favorite scripture in the entire Bible. Paul had some marvelous insights and one of them said, “… hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. For Christ, while we were 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 meaning of this scripture is self-evident and I am not to elaborate much on it. The only thing I encourage you to do is to take this scripture and pray about it this week. And when you are finished with it I guarantee you this – you will have a story to tell like the Samaritan woman.
This altar today is our well. Jesus is on this altar and he gives us the salvation we thirst for. Let us drink deeply today of the new life he offers us. And then, let our story lead the world to Christ. Amen.
- Fr. Satish Joseph