THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT

“Give me a drink.”

(Jn.4, 5-42)

Rev. Alexander Diaz

This Sunday's Gospel tells of Jesus' encounter with a Samaritan woman. The text allows us to discover the delicate way in which Jesus approached people who were in complex situations, and how he accompanies them to discover the truth and the meaning of life. This context is a rich inspiration for evangelization services.

The first point to clarify is the origin of the woman who talks to him: Does it have a special meaning that it is a Samaritan woman or is it purely accidental, not planned or a coincidence?

I'm pretty sure in most cases; encounters between people and God are often set to be accidental or coincidental. Conversations are often held on the streets, at home, hospitals ... When we go to Church we put ourselves before God.

This encounter turns more interesting because relations between Jews and Samaritans were very difficult, the Samaritans were regarded as semi-pagan, because their faith was mixed with beliefs from other cultures, and for this reason, the Jews did not allowed them to participate in the reconstruction of the Temple of Jerusalem, and their place of worship was on Mount Gerizim.

Jesus does not stand in solidarity with the rejection manifested by His people. Breaking down social barriers, strikes up a conversation with this woman, whom He treated with respect.

Through the conversation, Jesus leads this woman to find answers to her deepest concerns, and she ends up becoming a harbinger of the good news that changed her life: “Come see a man who told me everything I have done. Could he possibly be the Christ?”

How much good is done when we talk calmly, when we look for answers and listen quietly. Jesus does not address this poor woman for her mistakes, does not criticize her, does not confront her, only shows love, respect, charity and above all, peace, for her to find herself. It would do much good to many of us if we were to listen and correct with peace and tranquility as Jesus does with this poor woman.

Jesus attitude towards the Samaritan woman shows the universality of His message of salvation, which is not restricted to a particular culture, but is offered to all men and women of goodwill.

“Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well.
 It was about noon.” Tired, thirsty... Like any human being, Jesus feels the consequences of climate and labor.

At that time, a woman comes to the well to get water and take it home. Jesus begins a conversation with the anonymous woman, perhaps as we have done many times while we wait at the doctor's office or waiting at the bust stop.

Despite the sensitive subjects that are entering into the conversation, the woman at any time feels uncomfortable, by her comments and reactions, He is encouraging her to step into her internal growth.

The tact with which Jesus is guiding this woman makes us think of some priests who violate the privacy of the faithful and abuse their vocabulary. It is worth stopping to consider how Jesus is discovered, with great pedagogical sense, his true identity.

What began as a seemingly coincidental encounter ends up as the revelation that the great hope of the people of Israel, the Messiah, was present among the people.

A central element of Jesus catechesis is the water. And slowly is unraveling its meaning and goes from the role in daily life to a deeper symbolism, which is the communication of divine life.

Water is the center at the Liturgy of the Sacrament of Baptism; the text that the minister reads about the sacrament reveals the meaning of the history of salvation.

So this story of Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman, in which the WATER is the main focus, can be interpreted as a beautiful reflections on the meaning of baptism, which allows us to participate in the divine life within the community, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; 
but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; 
the water I shall give will become in him
a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

The water that leads to eternity. Today it is preached little about eternity. It is as if what really is worth to address must always be momentary. But the Gospel is an invitation to God's eternity. It often happens that preachers found themselves more comfortable talking about the human horizon instead of the promise of eternal life.

This way, Faith becomes another part of philosophy or in a suitable technique for personal growth. Eternity is not fashionable, eternity is God's time. Many of our anxieties nowadays are due to the lack of time, failure to reach everything that needs to be done. God is in eternity, outside of time, so that we realize that our life and relationship with Him is forever. God is never rushing us...

Worship in spirit and truth. The worship to God is not in Jerusalem or the temple of Gerizim, but in the attitude of faith. A person can spend all day stuck in a cathedral or in any church wanting to discover God, but their heart is spiritually thousands of miles away. To find Jesus in the tabernacle, in the Eucharist, or the Word is to first: find a place within us, find one or more reasons to give thanks for and have a spiritual ear that seeks to ensure that we do this in divine premises. I invite you to the sanctuary, the Eucharist and the Word not only in the walls of the church, but to be the base in your heart.

The true temple of worship is Jesus or the Word of Jesus that bears fruit in people's hearts through the Holy Spirit. God is above all places. Our real contact with God is through Jesus. Anyone who wants to find God will find him in Jesus Christ.