3rd Sunday Lent A - Homily 2

Homily 2 – 2008 

I want to reflect on the end section of today’s Gospel.  After talking with Jesus, the Samaritan woman went back into the town, told the townsfolk about her encounter with Jesus, and invited them to Come and See.  Her words echoed Jesus’ own words to the first disciples who followed Jesus after John the Baptist had identified him as the Lamb of God.  In reply to their question: Where do you live? Jesus had said to them: Come and see.  On that occasion, the Gospel said: they went and saw, and remained with him that evening.

The Samaritan townsfolk heard the woman.  On the basis of her witness, they started walking towards him.  They were open enough to unexpected possibilities: open to other, perhaps better, ways of seeing life, open to learn, even from a Jew, traditionally classified as bitter enemy.  They asked Jesus to stay with them and he stayed for two days.  Like the first disciples, they remained with him.  After the encounter, they were able to say: We have heard him ourselves and we know that he really is the saviour of the world.  We know that he really is the saviour of the world.

Who is Jesus to you? What does Jesus mean to you? Can you express your answer in words not learnt from others – words not used by the catechism, or in our Catholic sub-culture?  As the Samaritan townsfolk said to the woman: We no longer believe because of what you told us. We have heard him ourselves, and we know …  On the basis of our own personal experience, what does Jesus mean to us?  The words in today’s reading can ring in our own ears: Come and see.  They went and saw and remained with him.  Their experience of him led them to their truly personal response of faith.