Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Gosu Casimir, Parish Priest of Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church, Dansoman, in the Archdiocese of Accra, Ghana, has celebrated the gift of womanhood, praising women for standing tall even amidst sufferings and daily life struggles.
He made this acclamation in a homily during the Sunday Mass of March 8, 2026, being International Women’s Day, at the St. Mary Mother of God Catholic Church, Adeemra, his home Parish, in the Apostolic Vicariate of Donkorkrom.
According to Fr. Gosu, women have greater responsibilities to make the world a better place for all to live in. As a result, they endure different kinds of sufferings and struggles, yet, remain at their duties. He called on all men to support women and help them with all they need for a meaningful life.
The Priest prayed that God may take care of all women and grant them what they may need, and that women everywhere will be responsible in every situation, and exercise their God-given talents and gifts in accordance with the Will of God.
Reflecting on the Gospel of the Day from John 4:5-42, which describes the encounter of Jesus with the Samaritan woman at the well, the homilist drew the attention of the faithful to the fact that the woman’s coming to the well, at an odd hour for that matter, suggested that she was thirsty, not just for water, but also for acceptance, dignity, love and new life, amidst all the struggles she was encountering in her life; struggles of failed marriages among others.
He further opined that her visiting the well at an unusual hour must have been in a bit to bury her shame, but he reassured that Jesus did not condemn the woman. Rather, he offered her living water, the life of grace, and a restored relationship with God.
Underpinning the transformation that occured in the woman’s life after encountering Jesus; moving from shame to mission, the Priest maintained that when people truly encounter Christ, they cannot keep it to themselves. They become witnesses, as it becomes for them, “a moment of conversion, transformation of life, and mission to others,” as in the case of the Samaritan, who quickly left her water jar, which symbolised her old lifestyle, and ran back to the town to tell others about Christ.
Drawing further inspiration from the First Reading (Exodus 17:3-7), where the Israelites complained to Moses about thirst, Fr. Gosu maintained that human life is full of thirst; not only limited to thirst for physical water, but also thirst “for meaning, for love, for justice, for forgiveness, for peace in family life”.
He likened the complaints of the Israelites against Moses, and even their act of doubting God to the human experience. “When we face difficulties, sickness, financial struggles, family problems, we sometimes begin to question God,” he conscientized, yet upholding that even at such moments, God does not punish in response, but rather shows mercy.
“Even when our faith is weak, God still provides for us. Jesus meets the thirsty hearts,” he reassured.
In the Spirit of Lent, the visiting Priest called on all the faithful to approach the well of Christ through Prayer, Penance, the Sacraments and through acts of Charity.
He reiterated that when they drink from Christ, they also become sources of life for others, adding that just like the Samaritan woman, each one meets Jesus, who knows their every struggle, their past, and their deepest desires, at the well of their daily lives, and he is ever ready to transform them and grant them new life.
The Third Sunday of Lent Mass was concelebrated by Rev. Fr. Gregory Boss, Parish Priest of St. Mary Mother of God Catholic Church, Adeemra.
By Sr. Sylvie Lum Cho, MSHR (Sister Communicator)
