God’s Love is Not Graded on a Curve
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
March 11 – 12, 2023
Gospel: John 4:5-42
Jesus was traveling in Samaria when He encountered the Samaritan woman. Now, Jews did not travel to Samaria just like people here do not travel to Aquadale. Jews just didn’t go to Samaria. It was unclean. The Jews hated the Samaritans and called them “dogs” which was an egregious insult. Jesus went out in the middle of the day, and in the Middle East, nobody goes out past noon. Do you know why? It’s a little hot. Even on a winter day, it is warm. Trust me. But 1you know who does go outside past noon? The American army. Soldiers go out with 60 to 80 pounds of equipment strapped to them. It’s very slimming. The pounds just melt away. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, went outside during the hottest part of the day to seek and save what was lost. Why was the woman drawing water at the well during the heat of the day? Yes, they didn’t have fresh plumbing back then. . . I understand that. But why was she alone? American women travel by themselves all the time, and they don’t have to travel in groups. The woman at the well was alone because the other women wanted nothing to do with her. She was a fallen woman and not of good moral character. That’s why she was alone. Jesus, being God, knew that of course. But He came out to seek and save her soul. He wanted to bring her home to His heart. So, He gently tried to awaken her faith, and talked to her about the living water He would give; the water that would truly quench her thirst. At first, she did what so many do . . . she used intellectual arguments and blamed everything on someone else. When you get caught speeding and the officer pulls you over, what do you say? “They were doing it too!” And the officer says, “I’ll get them later. I’m only concerned about what you have done.”
Our Lord’s love is individual and not graded on a curve. “They are worse than I am!” But I’m talking to you! Jesus wants our souls, and He was concerned about the fallen woman’s relationship with God. People try to argue about hypotheticals, and they always have something to denounce. “The Church does this and that.” “This is bad and that is bad.” “You Jews say this.” “You Jews say that.” “You priests are perverts.” Uh, no. But thank you for the slander. I appreciate it because I know what you are doing. They always use something to deflect. They try to find excuses for their own bad behavior. Jesus told the woman the sins she had committed. Did He get mad with her? Did He scream at her? No. Jesus doesn’t get angry at us for our sins. He wants to take them away. When we sin, tears run down His face because we have turned our backs on His love. Did He yell at her, “You’re going to hell?” He never says that to anyone. But if we are in hell, we are self-made men.
Jesus had a breakthrough with the Samaritan woman. She had finally had enough of sinning. He awakened her faith while He suffered in His human nature. Even though He was hot and thirsty, He sacrificed His human nature for the salvation of a soul. That’s how much He loves us. That’s what our Good Lord does. He comes after us constantly. He never gives up. I’ve suggested this before, and I’ll suggest it again . . . read the poem, “Hound of Heaven.” No matter how bad you think it is that you’ve done, our Lord wants you back. You know the kind of people I used to work with? This is not even close. The fallen woman was not one of His people. But everyone is made in God’s image and likeness. As I said last week, innocence can be regained. He comes to all of us, if we let Him, to help us with our struggles and to draw us closer to Him . . . no matter what we’ve done . . . even if it is just to help with bearing our ordinary daily crosses. Although some people’s daily crosses are extraordinary, they are daily crosses.
I will tell you a story about a man who I miss. I never got to say goodbye to him because he died very quickly. He was admitted to the hospital and even though he wasn’t Catholic, he wanted to talk to a priest. So, I visited him, and we talked. He said, “Father, I’m not Catholic but a priest saved my life.” He told me that as a young man he was physically, sexually, and mentally abused. And like so many men of a certain age, he got a job offer from U.S. Government and the opportunity to travel. He was volunteered or voluntold, and he was sent to Vietnam for a year. While there, he saw the atrocities on innocent civilians that the North Vietnamese army committed. Because he thought it was time for some payback, he volunteered for a second tour in a Special Operations unit. And he gave the North Vietnamese a lot of payback. He did a lot of nasty things. When he came home, he had PTSD and drank like a fool. He spent a lot of time and effort in hospitals. A priest came and helped him. That’s why he wanted to talk to me. So, he got out of the hospital and got off the bottle. After many years, he was free from his crosses. He and his wife helped abused children. And that’s what he did for the rest of his life. When I met him, he was in the hospital, with ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease. On the last day I saw him alive, he was in the hallway in his new electric wheelchair equipped with head brace controls so that he could control them with his mouth. I said, “Cool wheels! When I come back next week, we are going to pimp this bad boy out! We’re going to paint flames on it and maybe hang some dice.” I never saw him again. He finally passed which was merciful because of the ALS. He didn’t have to ride that bus all the way to the end. This is the transforming power of God’s grace. I don’t think any of you could be as bad as that guy was. Is that man in Heaven? I’m pretty darn sure he is. God never stops working, and He never gave up on him. It took a long while, but our Lord picked him up and changed him. Our Lord comes to seek and save what is lost. Was the Samaritan woman’s case unusual? Yes . . . and no.
Father’s Reflections. . . .
I hold Mass at the local felon university (FU) or Albemarle Corrections Institute which is always interesting. Although they will disagree, I’m going to remind the prisoners that there are blessings even while in prison. 1) Your life expectancy has increased now that you aren’t doing what got you here. They got you off the drugs and alcohol you were consuming. 2) You are protected from your “friends” who may have eventually killed you or helped you die. 3) You get a well-balanced diet and a square meal, especially the fish or sewer bass. 4) You are eligible for vocational training unless you leave prison in a box. 5) You get medical and dental care. 6) You get psychological care. 7) While in prison, you have the time to reflect on the harm you have done and have the time to do penance. A lot of good things can come from being a guest of the state or a state employee living in a gated community. Just like the Good Thief from the cross, “I’m getting only what I deserve.” So, I’ll bring this up to the prisoners the next time I’m there. Luckily, I have a corrections officer with me. But there really are blessings in that place. I miss the old days when some of the prisoners worked with dogs to rehabilitate them for adoption on the outside. The prisoners grew to love these dogs and working with them was great therapy. But it was heartbreaking for the prisoners when they had to give up the dogs.
How will you apply this message to your life? ____________________________________________ You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” then “Sermon Notes.” On a cell phone: click on “Blog” then “Menu” and then “Categories.” Sermon Notes are also available on the church Facebook page at facebook.com/ola.catholic.church. Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.”