March 8, 2026

Dear Parishioners,

In praying these past several days about the Samaritan woman at the well (our Gospel for this third Sunday of Lent), I’ve had the image of a rose in my mind. Well, actually, it’s two roses I’ve had in mind. I’ve included here a painting by Edouard Manet from 1882 to illustrate what I mean.

I picture our Lord and the Samaritan woman as these roses. There is a love being exchanged there, and what greater symbol of love is there than a rose? But these aren’t roses on a bush. These are cut roses, lying on a table cloth. They are beautiful, but they will die soon, as all cut flowers will. There is always this conflicted sense of cut flowers. They add such beauty to a room, yet we know they are temporary, as they will soon perish. This is why some people don’t like flowers, as they feel they are a waste of money. I strongly disagree with this. Sure, flowers might be impractical, but we are a people of impracticalities, are we not? The whole spiritual life is impractical. And we are also a people of the present moment. Sure, the flowers will die tomorrow, but today they are beautiful; today, this bouquet of flowers allows me to express my love for you, for you to feel loved, etc. Today is what is important. Today, you will be with me in paradise.

Jesus is the ultimate cut rose. When he emptied himself and became a man, he gave us a beautiful gift. His life was a sign of his utter love, appreciation, and desire for us. That rose didn’t last long. It wilted on Good Friday and was discarded.

And yet, no. That rose was not totally discarded. It was lifted up by God to heaven and became eternal. This was possible not just because of the action of the Father raising Christ from the dead, but because of the tears, ointment, and roses that Mary, the holy women and John poured over the dead body of Christ. Their love for the pure rose contributed to its resurrection.

Jesus was cut down, but he arose. And now all roses, literally and figuratively, take their form from the eternal rose in heaven.

The Samaritan woman was a cut rose as well. There was something conflicted and beautiful in her at once. She had a pure soul, yet she had lived an impure life, as our Lord acknowledged. When Jesus approached and spoke to her, it was like he, the rose, was laying himself down on that table. It was an invitation to the Samaritan woman to do the same, and she complied. Our Lord’s love for her allowed the woman to see that she was indeed a precious rose, and she could lay herself down on the table to beautify the room. And once she did this, she was able to arise and become an eternal rose herself, and then follow Christ’s example. She evangelized the town by laying her beautiful soul before others and making them feel loved and special. We see the ripple-effect of the rose.

Jesus and the Samaritan woman probably never saw each other again. That time of being two cut roses on the table was fleeting. But a deep love on the level of the soul was exchanged, and that would last. Jesus would go on to lay himself down on the table as a cut rose for so many others (Peter, John, Thomas, Mary Magdalene, Paul, etc.). She would lay herself down. The Samaritan woman no longer just had five husbands, she had five hundred husbands (in the good sense).

We could say God the Father is the florist, taking that rose from the garden of Heaven and putting it on the table here on earth. He puts the rose on the table in our home so that we can be the next cut rose and lay ourselves down by Jesus.

Apologies, I know this is a bit of an abstract reflection. I simply invite you to take in the beauty of the rose that is Christ in your life. Maybe you will be inspired to see yourself as a rose and then give yourself away to our Lord and perhaps to someone else.

One final image. Someone close to me recently shared a song by Bette Midler called “The Rose.” I can’t say I frequently listen to Bette Midler, but I will say these lyrics are quite beautiful. May you hear our Lord sing them to you.

Some say love, it is a river

That drowns the tender reed

Some say love, it is a razor

That leaves your soul to bleed

Some say love, it is a hunger

An endless, aching need

I say love, it is a flower

And you, it’s only seed

It’s the heart, afraid of breaking

That never learns to dance

It’s the dream, afraid of waking

That never takes the chance

It’s the one who won’t be taken

Who cannot seem to give

And the soul afraid of dyin’

That never learns to live

When the night has been too lonely

And the road has been too long

And you think that love is only

For the lucky and the strong

Just remember, in the winter

Far beneath the bitter snow

Lies the seed, that with the sun’s love

In the spring, becomes the rose

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This Sunday, March 8th in the gym the SPC Women’s Club will be hosting their Annual Women’s Spiritual Retreat. Thank you to the co-chairs of the SPC Women’s Club for organizing this opportunity for the women of our parish.

Congratulations to all those who participated in the SPC School Roundball Tournament. It is a fun week for the coaches (SPC alumni) and players (5th-8th graders). Thank you to the parents who helped organize the week.

As I mentioned in the bulletin the previous week, the Archdiocese is offering every parish the opportunity to fill out the Disciple Maker Index. Please go online to this link to fill out a survey about our parish:

https://portal.catholicleaders.org/dmi/survey/pb833p.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. James Wallace