3rd Sunday of Lent

The Gospel of John 4: 5-42 does not only narrate the encounter of Jesus and the Samaritan woman. It also presents to us how Jesus dealt gently the situation which was seemingly considered forbidden at that time. First, Jesus talked to a woman. During the time of Jesus, women were expected to be more private. It was part of their unwritten rule that a woman must confine herself in private matters like that of her family and home. So in narrating that Jesus was talking to a woman, Jesus was doing what was unconventional in His time. This is why in verse 27, the Gospel of John states that the disciples of Jesus were marvelled that He was talking with a woman. Next, Jesus was talking to a Samaritan woman. During the time of Jesus, there existed a long-standing hostility between Samaritans and Jews. The woman was a Samaritan while Jesus was a Jew. In verse 9, the Gospel of John narrates that even the said woman was well aware of the hostility between Samaritans and Jews. The woman herself expressed through her words that there existed such state between Jesus and her, being a Jew and a Samaritan respectively.  Lastly, Jesus was not only talking to a Samaritan or to a woman, but to a sinner. We know from the Bible how sinners were treated during the time of Jesus. They were considered outcast. Yet, Jesus did not hesitate to talk to her. For Jesus, she was a soul to be saved. True to His mission, Jesus showed to her the love and mercy of God. He thereby brought salvation to the woman.

My dear friends, we are called today to see others as souls to be saved. We must participate in the salvific works of Jesus not only for our family and friends but also for others who are strangers to us. We have to treat people as souls to be saved especially the poor and the outcast. Instead of rejecting or avoiding them, we have to think how we could help their souls find peace in God. Let me end with my experience. I notice many people of unsound mind enter the church or parish. But most often, guards are called to drive them away either by the priests themselves or the Parish Pastoral Council. It is very seldom to find a parish or church which can show the love and mercy of God for those people. It seems that they are not part of the salvation history. One instance that I wish to share, there was a mass in one parish where many priests were gathering, a mentally deranged person tried to enter the church. When the parish administrators saw him, they called the guards to prevent him from entering the church. Instead of pacifying, the guards seemed to intimidate him that he started to create some noise. The guards were about to physically hurt him when a visiting priest approached him and hugged him to his surprise. The mentally deranged man cried at that moment to the visiting priest. Then he began to tell his sad experience to the said priest. He was an OFW who sent all his money to his wife only to find out that his wife left their home with another man. After some few minutes, the said man and the visiting priest parted their ways in silence. The man had left the church’s vicinity with some relief from his grief. In this sense, the visiting priest treated the mentally deranged man as a soul to be saved and the said man found the love and mercy of God from the said priest. To end, I invite you to start seeking the salvation of souls while dealing with people. Amen.