The Woman of Sychar
Third Sunday of Lent
Exodus 17:3–7 / Psalm 95:8 / Romans 5:1–2, 5–8 / John 4:5–42 or 4:5–15, 19b–26, 39a, 40–42
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Reflecting on the Word
By Rev. James A. Wallace, C.Ss.R.
When I saw him coming, I was afraid. I had just dropped my bucket into the well and was pulling it up. What was a Jew doing here? Sychar was not a stopover for the Jews. It was in Samaritan territory. Jews hated Samaritans, and the feeling was returned. This went back centuries.
I could tell he was tired. It was almost noon and a scorching day. When he asked for a drink, I couldn’t refuse. Even so, I asked him, “How can you, a Jew and a man, ask me, a Samaritan and a woman, for a drink?” “You have the bucket,” he said, smiling.
As I was handing him a ladle of water, he said: “If you knew who was saying, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked me for one.” I just stared at this riddle maker. Then I pointed out the facts: I had the bucket and the well was deep. End of discussion.
But it wasn’t. He began to talk about water that satisfies thirst and water that doesn’t. And then he said, “Whoever drinks the water I give will never thirst. I will give them water that gushes up into eternal life.”
You know, I believed him. I can’t explain why. That’s not all he said that day. We talked about my life, his work, and a day when Jews and Samaritans would be able to worship together. That was really a dream, I told him. But it wasn’t. After his death—and resurrection—it came about. It turned out he was living water after all.
Consider/Discuss
- What do you thirst for?
- How is Jesus life-giving water for you?
Responding to the Word
Jesus, you are life-giving water that quenches our soul’s thirst. You continue to meet us during our days, speaking to us so we might know you and what you would do for us. Like the Samaritan woman, may we welcome you and speak to you from our hearts.