Third Sunday of Lent

(03/08/2026) Gospel Reading: John 4:5-42

 

“A Spring of Water Welling up to Eternal Life”

 

Lord, you are truly the Savior of the world;
give me living water, that I may never thirst again.

 

From the desk of Fr. Leo

     Water is the major theme in this weekend's Gospel. Jesus asked for a drink then offered the woman living water. The term was deliberately ambiguous. Ordinary people, of course, didn't have running water in their homes. That's why they all had to come to a well nearby to draw water. The woman interpreted the term “living water” to mean a fountain or spring She had no idea that the living water Jesus was talking about was water that would lead to eternal life. Life, as we all know, depends on water. There had been in the news and many talking about whether there was water on the planet Mars, and if so how recently it existed there. The main issue, of course, is if water was there at one time, then life could have existed there too. There is no life without water. Similarly, we Christians see our own beginning in the life of race starting with water, the water of Baptism.

     Another feature of this weekend's Gospel is to notice this woman gradually coming to know Jesus in a fuller and deeper way. She initially addressed Jesus as “Sir,” a polite title, then she recognized Him as a prophet and she began to believe He is the Christ, that is, the Messiah. In her excitement she forgot about the water she came to get, (St. John tells us, she left her water jar at the well.) and she ran into town to tell everyone about Him. The town itself concluded that He was even more than the Jewish Messiah, the savior of the Jews, but He was truly the savior of the world. (It is a journey parallel to the journey taken by those in the R.C.I.A (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) as they seek to know more and more about Jesus on their way to entering the Church  at Easter.)

     It might be worth noting that historically, after the resurrection of our Lord Jesus and the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles at Pentecost, the Samaritans were very receptive to the teaching of the Apostles. Perhaps the events narrated in this weekend's Gospel paved the way for their conversion.

     Everything in this weekend's Gospel started with a conversation between Jesus and the woman. And this is the point that impresses. We'll never get to know the Lord if we don't take time too talk with Him. He doesn't show up in radiant light or thunder and lightning. He comes in ordinary ways, in the guise of a friend or even an adversary, in the words from a book, especially the Book which we call by its Greek name, the Bible. He shows up in an assembly of believers and in such simple things as water, bread and wine. The important thing is to make time to listen, to respond, to have a conversation, to do more than just tell Him what we want Him to do for us. We never get to know  anyone in life without spending time with them. If the Lord is important to us we need to set time aside to spend with Him too.

 

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Meditation: Would you do a favor for someone who snubbed you or treated you like an enemy? Jesus did just that and more! He treated the Samaritans, the sworn enemies of the Jews, with great kindness and respect. The Samaritans who lived in middle region of Israel between Galilee and Judaea and the Jews who lived in the rest of the land of Israel had been divided for centuries. They had no dealings with one another, avoiding all social contact, even trade, and inter-marriage. If their paths crossed it would not be unusual for hostility to break out.

When Jesus decided to pass through Samaria he stopped at Jacob's well because it was mid-day and he was both tired from the journey and thirsty. Jacob's well was a good mile and a half from the nearest town, called Sychar. It wasn't easy to draw water from this well since it was over a hundred feet deep. Jesus had neither rope nor bucket to fetch the water.

When a Samaritan woman showed up at the well, both were caught by surprise. Why would a Samaritan woman walk a mile and a half in the mid-day heat to fetch her water at a remote well rather than in her local town? She was an outcast and not welcomed among her own townspeople. Jesus then did something no respectable Jew would think of doing. He reached out to her, thus risking ritual impurity and scorn from his fellow Jews. He also did something no strict Rabbi would dare to do in public without loss to his reputation. He treated the woman like he would treat one of his friends - he greeted her and spoke at length with her. Jesus' welcoming approach to her was scandalous to both Jews and Samaritans because this woman was an adulteress and public sinner as well. No decent Jew or Samaritan would even think of being seen with such a woman, let alone exchanging a word with her!

Jesus broke through the barriers of prejudice, hostility, and tradition to bring the good news of peace and reconciliation to Jews, Samaritans, and Gentiles alike. He demonstrated the universality of the gospel both in word and deed. No one is barred from the love of God and the good news of salvation. There is only one thing that can keep us from God and his redeeming love - our stubborn pride and wilful rebellion.

What is the point of Jesus' exchange with the Samaritan woman about water? Water in the arid land was scarce. Jacob's well was located in a strategic fork of the road between Samaria and Galilee. One can live without food for several days, but not without water. Water is a source of life and growth for all living things. When rain came to the desert, the water transformed the wasteland into a fertile field.

The kind of water which Jesus spoke about was living, running, fresh, pure water. Fresh water from a cool running stream was always preferred to the still water one might find in a pool or resevoir. When the Israelites complained about lack of water in the wilderness, God instructed Moses to strike the rock and a stream of fresh living water gushed out (Exodus17:6 ). Even though the Israelites did not trust God to care for them in the wilderness, God, nonetheless gave them abundant water and provision through the intercession of his servant Moses.

The image of "living water" is used throughout the scriptures as a symbol of God's wisdom, a wisdom that imparts life and blessing to all who receive it. "The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life" (Proverbs 13:14). "Living water" was also a symbol for the Jews of thirst of the soul for God. The water which Jesus spoke of symbolized the Holy Spirit and his work of recreating us in God's image and sustaining in us the new life which comes from God. The life which the Holy Spirit produces in us makes us a "new creation" in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). Do you thirst for God and for the life of the Holy Spirit within you?

Hippolytus (170-236 AD), an early Christian writer and theologian who lived in Rome, explains the significance of the Holy Spirit's work in us:

"This is the water of the Spirit: It refreshes paradise, enriches the earth, gives life to living things. It is the water of Christ's baptism; it is our life. If you go with faith to this renewing fountain, you renounce Satan your enemy and confess Christ your God. You cease to be a slave and become an adopted son. You come forth radiant as the sun and brilliant with justice. You come forth a son of God and fellow-heir with Christ." (From a sermon, On the Epiphany)
Basil the Great (330-379 AD), a great early Christian teacher and Greek bishop of Caesarea, speaks in a similar manner:

"The Spirit restores paradise to us and the way to heaven and adoption as children of God; he instills confidence that we may call God truly Father and grants us the grace of Christ to be children of the light and to enjoy eternal glory. In a word, he bestows the fullness of blessings in this world and the next; for we may contemplate now in the mirror of faith the promised things we shall someday enjoy. If this is the foretaste, what must the reality be? If these are the first fruits, what must be the harvest?" (From the treatise, The Holy Spirit)

Lord Jesus, my soul thirsts for you. Fill me with your Holy Spirit that I may always find joy in your presence and take delight in doing your will.

read more at: http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org

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