Sunday Homily, 8 March 2026 - Fr Paul Rowse, OP

And there, the Samaritan woman remains, in Sychar, until the Holy Spirit descends to open up the Kingdom of God to all nations.

There is joy in her, seen in the resumption of hospitality.  Because of her serial monogamy, she has had to suspend her role in society, including as a provider of hospitality.  That role is resumed with the Lord’s simple request for a drink.  And he stays two more days, enabling her to fulfil the demands of hospitality for honoured guests.  The timing will remind us of the events of Holy Week: the Lord died on the first day and rose on the third; he met her on the first day and goes on the third.

Her joy comes from the newness which the Lord has breathed into her.  She goes around telling people about the seventh and last man in her life, the perfect Spouse, who has ended all her searching, disappointment, and regret.  But she is not yet a disciple.  And this is where our catechumens and candidates find themselves.

Our catechumens and candidates have had a moment like this with the Lord.  He has made himself known to each one of them in a unique way.  Like the woman, there is joy in the discovery.  Like the woman, there may still be questions.  Questions need not be a sign of poor faith but of growing faith.  Hers is a very big question: “I wonder if he is the Christ”.  Let her question put your remaining ones into perspective.

So, our catechumens and candidates are waiting for the Holy Spirit to confirm what has been discovered.  The Holy Spirit comes from the body of Christ.  On Good Friday when Jesus dies, Scripture very elegantly says: “Bowing his head, he gave up his spirit.”  This happens again on Easter Sunday, when the risen Lord breathes on the disciples and says: “Receive the Holy Spirit: those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven.”

Come Easter, when you are united to the body of Christ, you will know that the price of your life as a Catholic is the life of Christ himself.  Like each of us, you will spend your life wondering why: “Why was I discovered by Christ?  Why was I chosen for faith?”  And then, you will realise that the only possible answer is the fraternal kindness of the Saviour.  Then, you will approach once more the kind of gratitude we call the Eucharist.

The next steps for our catechumens and candidates are straightforward: we will follow the example of this woman.  Today you will receive the creed.  This will fill out what you know about the Lord in a personal way with what we together know about him through the Church, his Body and his Spouse. The creed will tell you what we know about his origins and our destiny in him.

And then you will invite others, as we do, to show him the kind of hospitality which he has long sought after: the Lord wants a place in every soul.  Please invite others, your family and friends, to participate in the ceremonies of Holy Week and Easter.  We would be delighted to see them.

For what we have received we must also offer, so that the end of the fraternal kindness of the Saviour will be untold.

Fr Paul Rowse, OP Parish Priest