THE WOMAN AT THE WELL

Water is an essential part of our lives. Think about all the ways in which we use water: for drinking; cooking; washing; bathing; and swimming. Water brings life to plants. Then there are those places without water: the desert-dry and arid; countries where water is such a precious commodity that they must walk miles to get clean water. Things wither and die without water. And of course we know the destruction water can cause by flooding and the recent tsunami in Japan.

In the first reading today the Israelites were physically thirsty and they grumbled against God and Moses, who provided water for them to drink. In the Gospel the Samaritan Woman was spiritually thirsty. Her thirst is quenched when she meets a stranger by the well. This unnamed woman has looked for love and acceptance by drawing from wells that failed to satisfy. She longs for relationship with others and with God.

Are we not like the Samaritan Woman? We long to be in relationship with others. Our souls thirst for God. We seek truth about ourselves as well as the truth about our relationship with God. We draw water from countless wells: wells of success; wells of importance; wells of praise; wells of pleasure; and wells of pride. You can probably name some of your own wells.

Jesus, in his asking for a drink, was offering the grace of living water. The Samaritan Woman was resistant. She wanted to go about her own work and not be bothered by this Jewish man. Think about those times when you may have resisted grace. You may have been too busy, not open to change, did not want to go out of your way, and so on. As Jesus said, "...if you only knew who it is that is speaking to you."

The Samaritan woman, perhaps out of curiosity, continues to speak to and challenge the stranger. However as their conversation continues, she begins to listen and challenges less. She begins to let her guard down seeing that this man is someone who listens to her and is accepting of who she is. Slowly the grace of living water begins to seep into her thirsty soul. Then when Jesus reveals to her, "I am he who is speaking to you," the grace begins to flow and her soul is open to receive fully the grace of the life giving waters that Jesus is offering.

Do you remember a time during prayer or retreat when, after some reflection and resistance to grace, your heart and soul surrendered and opened to receive the grace that God was offering to you? Remember how it filled you with whatever emotion you might have experienced? Remember how is quenched your thirsty soul?

Little did the Samaritan Woman know that her ordinary task that day of drawing water would turn her world around and transform her. From thirsting and longing, she was given new hope and new life.

Jesus is the only well who quenches our thirsty soul and gives us new life. As Lent continues, let us draw closer to Jesus, our life giving water.