Third Sunday of Lent (A) 2023

INTRO:

Todays, Long Gospel story ….. is one about …… Jesus having MERCY on people who are “different “or considered, by leaders of the day, to be out of the circle of society. SAMARITANS!

JESUS actually builds up these people who have been considered different and teaches us (the church) to not tear people down, to not hold people as outcasts, as the leaders and society were doing to some people.

A priest has to use this Gospel story when there is an RCIA group getting ready to “join us” in our Catholic faith.

This is the Gospel story to teach them (and remind us), that the “radical Jesus” expects the church members to imitate him in all ways, and especially, especially to avoid prejudices!

Jesus did show mercy to the SAMRITAN WOMAN and so we are asked to show mercy to all persons of different race, creed, and religion. Here’s where the church receives a social justice message….it comes from this GOSPEL.

JESUS also talked with the woman and became friends with the woman telling us that we should be doing the same… becoming a united community.

But think for a minute…. Someone on your street, at your place of employment, in your school, and in our city ……there are people who are “DIFFERENT” than you and I and we may tend to ignore.

In Jesus’s actions ….
our church should continue this MERCY on:

The African
The Indian
The gay
The refugee
The Muslim
The republican
The democrat

The people we don’t typically “hang with” should not be ruled out of our lives but respected. Remember, JESUS wanted UNITY and CHARITY in our diversity.

Like Jesus, we need to take that initiative.

CONCLUSION:

Lent IS A TIME TO CHANGE OUR LIVES and this Gospel teaches us to lay down our biased judgements of people and to pick up an attitude and action of mercy, kindness, acceptance, for ALL which is the goal of our Catholic Church.