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Catholic Charities USA
Third Sunday of Lent
Today's Lectionary Readings
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"Is God in our midst or not?" What a provocative question
in today's first reading! Especially when confronted by
the pain we see in our world today.
To understand today's gospel story, we must appreciate the
history of Samaria and Israel. After being conquered by Assyria,
Samaritans worshipped Assyrian gods while continuing to worship the
God of Israel. Because of this, Jews hated and rejected Samaritans and
wouldn't set foot in their territory. It's in this context
that Jesus and his disciples traveled through Samaria.
When stopping to rest, Jesus encounters a Samaritan woman. As a woman
and a Samaritan, she's an outcast in Jewish society and is
surprised when Jesus, a Jew, speaks to her. He asks for a drink of
water, even though drinking from her vessel would make him ritually
unclean. Jesus tells her that God is doing something new, and a day is
coming when Samaritans will worship God in Spirit and truth. The woman
returns to her village, shares this good news, and her neighbors
believe. Early Christians who heard this story understood Jesus as
proclaiming the new Kingdom of God where outcasts are welcomed, hatred
is no more, and all are ruled by the law of love.
Sometimes it takes eyes of faith to see where God is doing something
new. For example, my home state of Maine has many unhoused people who
others choose not to see, walking around them or driving past. This
winter, however, the congregation of a historic church in a nearby
town decided to write a new history by converting an unused part of
their building into an emergency overnight shelter for those who
otherwise would be sleeping on cold streets. Their leap of faith
and act of hospitality inspired others to also respond. Within a month
the YMCA opened on Sunday mornings for hot showers; another church
opened its space for hot breakfasts; volunteers from numerous churches
and even the town's entire city council pitched in to
help. No longer were church folks and town leaders taking the
long way around people they encountered on the streets. Instead, they
were sharing their lives with one another. With eyes of faith, we can
see how God used the game-changing faith of the congregation of a
single old church to do something new!
I believe that the work of Catholic Charities is game-changing in many
people's lives. Whether it is working with refugees or providing
food or addiction counseling, the work of Catholic Charites assures
that people are seen, treated with dignity, and no longer avoided or
walked around. Catholic Charities reminds us that God is active and
alive in our midst, and always doing something new.
Kathy Brown is a Board Member of Catholic Charities of Maine. In over
40 years of ministry she served with Catholic Relief Services, the
Diocese of Phoenix, parishes, the RCIA national team, Caritas North
America as Regional Coordinator, and Catholic Charities USA as Senior
Director of Mission Integration and Catholic Identity. Kathy and her
husband Scott live in Gardiner, Maine, where she serves on the city
council. Kathy has a MDiv and MA in Theology from St. Paul
University, Ottawa, Canada.
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