Third Sunday of Lent – Year A
Fr. Mark Gatto
Preached: March 8, 2026
Jesus and women and scandal. He related to them in a new and unique way, in a way that seemed scandalous at that time, including to his own disciples. The Gospels contain dangerous memories. Dangerous in the sense that they continually challenge our way of seeing things, shake us up, make us uncomfortable. At least when we read them carefully and deeply, they can cause us to see things in a new way, they can push us beyond the status quo.
In Jesus, our way of seeing things can often be turned around, the world’s way of seeing things can be upset and even the Church’s way of seeing things can be turned upside down. This Gospel passage we just heard of the encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman is one that contains dangerous memory.
In our world today, when we look at certain countries and cultures, we are disturbed at the way women are treated. With the war going on in the Middle East, we look at a country like Iran, with its Islamic theocracy, and their way of treating women. Control over how they dress. Control over where they are allowed to go, or how they can participate within society. In a country like Afghanistan, with the Taliban, we see a place where young girls are unable to get further education. We see similar restrictions and patriarchal, even mysogynistic attitudes towards women in various places.
Yet, we can forget that in our western Christian world it was only about 100 years ago that women had the right to vote. Higher education was very limited for women. In our Catholic Church, many of you are too young to remember a different time in the church. But, up until 60 years ago, the role of women was very restricted in the life of the church, particularly in the Liturgy.
Today, we take it for granted that we have Altar servers who are boys and girls. In our parish, they serve together and work together in a totally natural way. We take for granted that there are women Lectors proclaiming the Word of God and women assisting in the distribution of communion. The Church has undergone a change, I would say a conversion. This dangerous memory found in the encounter of Jesus with the Samaritan woman is perhaps one that kept alive this challenge through many centuries.
This change in the way of seeing women, and the role of women, is not something entirely new We see that it actually goes back to something found within the Gospels, to Jesus himself. In the Gospels we see Jesus relating to women in a new way. Jesus treats women as equals, respects them, listens to them and calls them to be his disciples.
An example of this new relation with women is found in the encounter of Jesus with the Samaritan woman at the well. This would be seen as scandalous at that time. First, a Jew would never be with a Samaritan, and certainly would not enter into a dialogue with a Samaritan. Second,iIn that time and culture, a man and a woman, would never be alone. But, here is Jesus alone with this Samaritan woman and entering into a long conversation with her. Not just a woman, but one who would have had a bad reputation due to her multiple relationships with different men. In fact, when the disciples return and see Jesus with this woman, they are surprised, perhaps scandalized.
Jesus is listening to her and having a deep human conversation with her. The result is that she is really changed. She realizes the deep thirst that was influencing her life. A thirst that she had been trying to satisfy in a constant line of different men.
By the end of this encounter, she becomes a disciple of Jesus and she evangelizes her Samaritan community. It says that “Many Samaritans from that city believed in Jesus because of the woman’s testimony.” This is one of those dangerous memories that are found in the Gospels. This woman as an evangelist. We see something similar in the accounts about Mary Magdalene who was the first to witness the Resurrection and proclaimed this to the Apostles. For this reason the church sometimes refers to Mary as the Apostle to the Apostles.
As a Church, we need to be influenced by this example of Jesus in our vision of women. We men need to examine our own way of seeing women and treating women rooted in this example of Jesus. We should be in relationships rooted in mutual respect, listening and dignity. It should influence the relation of women and men in the Catholic Church, in marriage, in workplaces, in all areas of life.
Each of us Christians need to look to Jesus and learn from Jesus. Go to the Gospels and allow dangerous memories found there to shake you up. If you are scandalized by Jesus, then that is a good thing. Allow yourself to be challenged by that passage. When we read the Gospels spiritually with open hearts, at times it will make us uncomfortable, it will change our way of seeing things.
