Third Sunday of Lent, March 19, 2017 READINGS: Exodus 17:3-7; Psalm 95; Romans 5:1-2, 5-8; John 4:5-42; or John 4:5-15, 19-26, 39, 40-42 There is a really deep well inside me and in it dwells God. Sometimes I am there, too. But more often stones and grit block the well. God is buried beneath. Then God must be dug out again. Etty Hillesum With these readings, the Church begins the immediate preparation for the baptism at the Easter Vigil of the catechumens and the rededication of the whole community, calling them back to the intensity of their first commitment of being immersed in the waters of life, in Word and Spirit. In John s community of the beloved disciples, the Gospels reveal how the one about to be baptized is drawn into the levels and understandings of faith and practice that lay before them. These processes would become a lifelong commitment to living in the freedom of the children of God. This story is how one becomes a believer in Jesus, but one in need of constant growth and change within a community that holds them accountable, sharing with one another the rights, duties, and responsibilities as well as the grace and truth that all are seeking to embrace, to understand, and to live out in their lives. The story in this week s Gospel is set in Samaria, a region in conflict with Israel, at a well that was given to Jacob by his ancestors. Here, the water was owned privately; it was not a public well. Even today, this well is located in the West Bank town of Nablus, and is the only source of fresh water for the entire area. The well is the source of Photo Credit: Megan Mckenna what is called still water collected in a cistern from living water or wild water found originally in deep underground springs. It is the heart and lifeblood of the communities and the source of life. On occasion, it overflows and spreads out into the dry land. The cistern is surrounded by the spilling over of the water into a large bowl. The encounter between the Samaritan woman and the Jewish man begins as a conflict between two nations two sects within a shared religion following their own traditions, economic castes, and gender differences and two peoples under foreign domination, the Romans, who conquered them both. The story begins with two human beings: a thirsty man, a stranger, a foreigner and a woman who has access to the water he needs. Culturally, it begins with the stranger breaking the customs and opening the conversation by demanding a drink: Give me a drink (John 4:7), and she reacts in this way, You are a Jew. How can you ask me, a Samaritan and a woman, for a drink (John 4:9). The lack of trust, even hostility and animosity, is palpable, crackling like energy between them. 1 / 7 Copyright 2017, Education for Justice, a project of Center of Concern.
Their backgrounds situate them as enemies. In the Eastern Church, the woman s name is Photina. The stage is set. The story lurches back and forth someone asking for water to assuage her thirst for Jesus her reluctance to give it to Jesus because of who he is. In a larger context, they live within and are part of a theological discourse between someone wanting to give her the vital source of life, as necessary as water, and someone who is cautious and taking small steps towards acceptance of what he is offering her. It is vital to realize that in Jewish theology the words: living water also mean The Torah the Word of God, Scripture, the source of their common history of belief. Jesus jumps at once expressing his desire to introduce her to his Word, Spirit, and Life with the words, If only you recognized God s gift, and who it is that is asking you for a drink, you would have asked him instead and he would have given you living water (John 4:10). The woman hears, and makes the connection that he is interested in more than a drink of water, but she is not ready to even speak with him as someone who shares basic beliefs. She changes her way of addressing him to Sir and challenges him. She knows he is without a way to get to the water that is beside him she s the We are baptized into one with both access and a bucket, but she responds the community and it is only with double meaning, too, Where do you expect to get this flowing water? (John 4:11). in a community where She continues in this theological discourse, associating we are held accountable the well s water with the rich tradition of her ancestor do we begin to deepen in faith, Jacob, acknowledging her belief and also her opposition to his belief. Now, with this opening, Jesus our faith in both understanding flat out tells her what he wants to give her: Everyone and in practice, who drinks this water will be thirsty again. But whoever drinks the water I give will never be thirsty; no, being converted to The Word the water I give shall become a fountain within [you] and converting every leaping up to provide eternal life (John 4:13-14). He both accepts that she is a Samaritan believer, but says area of our life that his faith, his Word, his living water, is the true and connections. water, the deepest source, and the strongest response to life, to living, and to connection with God. He tells her, and she picks up on it, that once she drinks his water, it will be sourced deep within her, like wild spring water, and that it will seek its way up and out, overflowing always. She will become a well, as alive as a fountain of water springing up in the desert even in the noonday heat (John 4:14). She wants the water, and asks for it, now she seeks it, shifting her relationship to him. Her words have the sense of, Please sir, give me this water, so that I won t grow thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water. She wants water, baptism, and his way of drinking deep of the Torah; yet at the same time, she is standing on the edge of vast waters with little understanding of what she is asking for. Jesus announces that he is sharing his life: I have come that all might have life, and have it most abundantly (John 10:10). 2 / 7 Copyright 2017, Education for Justice, a project of Center of Concern.
The woman requests baptism and entrance into his community, but the rest of the long story reveals the stages she still has to experience to become a believer in him and to grow and mature through conversion of what she believes and how she lives her life. First, she must look at her life and confess acknowledge where she has strayed from her own belief and what the Scriptures taught her community of the Samaritans. This is the layered meaning of her five husbands in the past, and being with another, presently. In Samaria s history, after splitting from the other half of the kingdom of Israel, they had been conquered five times by other countries and five times submitted, while still claiming to be Jews, to the religion of their oppressors. They made deals with them, while still retaining hope for the Messiah and the practice of some of their laws, worship, and beliefs. Presently, they are living with Rome in this uneasy relationship. A current analogy would be confession before and after baptism how have we served other gods, while practicing as Christians and obeying and worshipping another one at the moment? (Remember back to the three tests in the First Week of Lent.) She does confess, and now calls Jesus a prophet, one who sees the present reality so clearly that he can tell you what will happen if you do not change (John 14:17). All the prophets are interested in only three things: what constitutes true worship of God, the coming of the rule of justice and peace, and the care of the poor. All three are actually aspects of one reality: true worship brings justice and peace for all where the poor are cared for first; that is the only worship God wants of those who follow him. The story continues with an intricate theological discussion of what constitutes true worship of God. She learns that where one worships is not as important as that one worships in spirit and truth, wholeheartedly in every aspect of life. The Father wants worship that manifests as our lives given over in service. She hears that it is God who is seeking us, and that we need this God and the Word as much as we need water to survive, to grow, and to live. This segment is vital for understanding the basic foundations of worship, ethics, and shared life together. After listening to Jesus Word, she wants to know if he s the Messiah the hope shared in both their traditions. Jesus not only answers her question, but also throws her into another realm of belief, hope, and life saying, I who speak to you am he (John 14:26). What he is actually saying sounds more like, I AM is speaking to you. This is an act of faith. Jesus is one with I AM. Jesus is The Word of God made flesh, dwelling among us we now speak to God and see God face- to-face in Jesus. It is the first step in believing. Then, they are interrupted by the return of the disciples. She leaves her water jar at the well. She is baptized and is a believer and goes into town to start to share what she has been given and how she has been found. Listen to what she says: Come and see someone who told me everything I ever did! Could this not be the Messiah? (John 14:29). And many go out to listen to him. She heard a thin layer of what Jesus was saying, what she herself was already seeking the Messiah. He told her something shocking that he is I AM, that she was seeing God face-to-face and hearing his Word. It went right over her head, slid like water off a duck s back. 3 / 7 Copyright 2017, Education for Justice, a project of Center of Concern.
But even her initial sharing of her fledgling faith is enough to draw people out to listen to Jesus. They listen; they hear; and they return to correct her, teach her, and develop her faith and understanding: We have heard for ourselves, and we know that this really is the Savior of the World (John 14:42). Their belief moves from nationalistic hopes for a savior to One who is universal. She is an icon of a newly baptized believer, beginning to sip the waters of The Word made flesh dwelling with us, but in need of a community of believers to teach her and draw her deeper into the waters of life. We are told that when the people heard Jesus Word, he stayed with them two more days three days in all, the meaning of the Paschal Mystery, the life, death, resurrection of Jesus, and the gift of the Spirit the first gift to those who believe. This is the first stage of the making of the Community of Beloved Disciples becoming a believer among others, listening/obeying The Word, and living the Paschal mystery of Jesus day after day, year after year, becoming what we proclaim to believe and sharing our faith with others. This is basic Christian life: learning to live with others with all its demands, rights, and responsibilities that we must grow into, practice, and seek to share with others. This concept of the common good reiterates and expands upon our call to be family and to belong to communities that participate publicly in our society as a force: in politics, economics, law, policy, institutions, and governments that provide for the good and well-being of all. Aptly, these rights and responsibilities begin with the necessities of life: clean water; food and clothing; shelter and healthcare; education and work; human dignity and security of life; the hope for the future of one s children; the right to practice one s religion and to meet with others; to be safe from violence; and to immigrate. All of these form the foundation of the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The core of our religious life, our faith, and our daily practice is learning how to live with others, especially those most vulnerable and living on the edge of survival. To be a believer is to constantly study (from the womb to the tomb) what we believe, beginning with the living water of the Scriptures, especially the Gospels, Acts of the Apostles, the prophets, and the first five books of the Bible, with its laws and Holiness Code. We are equally required to learn how to practice our faith, not only in worship, but also in economics, politics, and social situations that we experience. We are required to learn, understand, and work at God s activity in our social structures. We must learn over the years to apply our Christian beliefs to all areas of our lives with others, and to engage in and change all our structures and institutions to reflect what we believe all human beings deserve. It is apt that we might begin with water the icon of the source of our faith in the Word, and the source of life for our bodies and our souls. This first stage of being a believer in a responsible community will last our lifetime. Our faith is not an individual affair with God. We are baptized into the community, and it is only in a community where we are held accountable, where we begin to deepen our faith in both understanding and in practice, converting to The Word, and converting every area of our life and connections to others. 4 / 7 Copyright 2017, Education for Justice, a project of Center of Concern.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS: TO STRETCH YOUR HEART AND SOUL This story takes place at the sixth hour (noon) and is connected to Jesus death on the cross when he speaks one of his last words, I thirst. Have you noticed that Jesus asks for a drink, but he never is given one? God thirsts for us in Jesus. The Father thirsts and seeks for those who worship in spirit and truth. Take time to pray with Jesus who thirsts for you. What can you give to him to appease his thirst? Read the Gospel story of a new believer slowly and carefully, with you as the woman at the well (John 4:5-42). Where are you in your belief? Who you think Jesus is: a man, a teacher, a rabbi, a prophet, a messiah, I AM, the Word made flesh, God face-to-face with us, the Savior of the world? Each day, pray to Jesus. Discern who he is, and what he is trying to draw you to believe and what that means for you in your daily life. Our baptismal promises demand continual lifelong conversion to the Word of God, to the following of Jesus. It is not just a slow, gradual formation. It is meant to totally and radically transform every area of our lives by constantly reflecting on the Gospels, the words of the Prophets and the teachings of the church on justice, human rights, and moral practices. What areas of your life are in need of watering with the Word of God? Where have you failed to connect God s Word with your public opinions and practices? What specific area economics, politics, work for justice, war and peace, and laws regarding life and death do you need to reassess, repent, and be converted in order to follow Jesus more truthfully? 5 / 7 Copyright 2017, Education for Justice, a project of Center of Concern.
PRAYERS Prayer for Self By reading the Scriptures and by meditating, Lord, I have read your words and meditated on your person for more years than I can remember. Over the years, the fire of desire to see you has grown hotter and hotter. As I have meditated, my soul has received greater light, and the Scriptures excite my soul more than ever. Give me a single drop of heavenly rain to satisfy my spiritual thirst. Amen. Guido, Carthusian, 1188 Prayer for and with Others God of love, whose compassion never fails, we bring you the griefs and perils of people and nations, the pains of the sick and injured, the sighing of prisoners and captives, the sorrows of the bereaved, the necessities of the homeless, the helplessness of the weak, the despair of the weary, the failing powers of the aged. Comfort and relieve them, O merciful Lord, according to their several needs and your great mercy. Amen. Anselm of Canterbury, 1033-1109 And Lord, use us to serve their needs and show them your mercy. Megan McKenna 6 / 7 Copyright 2017, Education for Justice, a project of Center of Concern.
FAITH IN ACTION: SHIFTING INTO NEW PRACTICES In order to grow and mature as a believer, one needs a community that holds one accountable, demands conversion, practices together, corrects and teaches, seeks to live as the Word made flesh dwelling among us, and attempts to be the Body of Christ in the World. Be intent on belonging to a group that studies the Gospel for Sunday (lectionary-based to connect into the universal church) for conversion of life. You need only 6-7 people to drink the living water of the Word together. Call one another to conversion on practical issues. Hold one another accountable for being Words of God and letting God use your flesh to transform the world. An individual can believe in Jesus personally but cannot become a disciple, or a Beloved Disciple, alone. A small community within the Community of the Body of Christ is as necessary as water for daily life. We have to work at being in communities, belonging to others, working for and with others, and putting our faith into practice. Oftentimes, it begins with being educated in areas where we are ignorant and unaware, but that are essential to community life. A good place to begin is in the areas of basic necessities of life: water, food, housing, immigration, refugees, and neighborhoods adjacent to our own (as are Israel and Samaria). Another is in the field of economics examining how God works and how we are to work in our economic systems. In the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops pastoral letter, Economic Justice for All, the Bishops state, Every perspective on economic life that is human, moral, and Christian must be shaped by three questions: What does the economy do for people? What does it do to people? And how do people participate in it? Join or start a group that studies the situation of water, hunger, or housing in your area and begin to look at the issues and problems that need immediate attention from the point of view of others, Scriptures, and the words of the Prophets. Eventually, decide on a course of action with others (within your already existing groups) that can remedy and speak to the situations you discover. If you re having difficulty shifting and sharing these different perspectives, try reading some of the segments of the Prophets, like Isaiah 32:15-20 (and many others), and start with the hope and reality of what should be and what could be. Then, tackle how to work towards converting your reality. 7 / 7 Copyright 2017, Education for Justice, a project of Center of Concern.