NAMING & CONSIDERING THE MANY WELLS WE ARE DRINKING

It has been said that anytime someone significant in the Scriptures remains nameless, that person acts as the universal person—standing in for each one of us!  So let’s pull up a rock and join Jesus at Jacob’s Well to experience the insights our Lord has in store for us to discover the wells we have been drinking.

First let’s take the story at face value.  Jesus resting at the well encounters a Samaritan woman who has come to draw her daily sustenance.  Jesus asks her for a drink.  If she simply gives him the drink, the interaction between them would basically be over.  However, like most of our human interactions, there is more to this story when we are willing to consider these interactions more deeply, like Jesus.  There are two elements of the story to help us name the wells we drink from and to consider deepening our discipleship skills.

The first element of the story is the “heavy jar” and “time” this encounter happened; “Jesus…sat down at the well.  It was about noon.” (Jn 4:6)  It was very unusual to carry the heavy water jar to the well during the heat of the noon time sun.  Why then would this Samaritan woman expose herself to the scorching rays?  Shame!  We learn from their dialog that Jesus knew she was drinking from other “wells”.  “For you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband.” (Jn 4:18)  See, she was carrying much more than just the burden of the heavy water jar in the scorching sun, she was carrying relationship burdens that were keeping her on the fringes of her community.  The second element is what I call the cultural divide.  Jesus’ simple request for a drink turns into a question shot back, “… How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?…” (Jn 4:9)  It is no secret in scripture of the cultural divide between the Jews and Samaritans.  Today’s gospel takes even this to the extreme—dialog between a Jewish prophet and a Samaritan woman!  Yet Jesus invites her to share in the “living water” to be in relationship with him and the God who sent him.  She left her water jar, returned to her community a disciple & evangelist of the coming kingdom.

So, the nameless woman is standing in for us.  This begs the question, from what wells do we drink?  The Mass is one well!  Do we not carry our water jar here, full of the burdens from the week?  To accept Jesus’ invitation to share in renewing our baptismal call, to be nourished by His Body and Blood so that we can return to our different communities (family, work, neighborhood) freed from the burdens we left at this well.  Unfortunately, many of us have trouble letting go of what’s in the heavy water jar.  So instead of leaving the burdens here, we keep them and go to other wells to try to find daily satisfaction.  Do we drink from the “well of self-pity” unable to see the big picture, living from our own reference points only.  Drinking from this well can lead us to grumble as the Israel people did against Moses in the first reading.  Often in our grumbling we turn to additive behaviors in an effort to satisfy unmet needs, often leading to feelings of shame.  Perhaps we drink from the “well of self-absorption”, so lost in ourselves we fail to see the lost, oppressed, marginalized, and ostracized people around us.  Paul tells us “… God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” (Rom 5:8)  Are we not commanded to be and “…make disciples of all the nations.” (Mt 28:19)  It’s hard to do this if we think only of ourselves.  Pope Francis, at his first Chrism Mass as Pope said, “The ministers need to smell like the sheep.”  I interpret this to mean, we need to meet God’s people at all the wells they choose to drink and offer them the living water Jesus offers to us.

We have a very real opportunity to meet the Samaritan woman at this well, the Easter Mass.  Hundreds of Catholics, who may not be regular Mass attendees, will bring their “heavy water jars” seeking some form of satisfaction in their life.  Jesus met the woman at the well, crossed the cultural divide and offered her “living water”, freed her to be a disciple, free to return to life in community. 

Here’s a Lenten challenge.  Spend some time considering the burdens you carry.  Bring these burdens here, seek the Sacrament of Reconciliation and leave those burdens with Jesus, accepting the living water he offers us.  Name the wells from which you are drinking that never fully satisfy your needs.  If they are death-dealing wells, like the well of self-pity or self-absorption, recognize where you’re at and if there are others at the well with you, be Jesus inviting them to share in His living water.  Lastly, prayerfully consider your response to meeting the Easter pilgrims who will come to this well seeking Jesus.  Will they find Him is us?

Source(s):      Scriptures:  Ezekiel 37:12-14; Romans 8:8-11; John 11:1-45

                        Naked, and You Clothed Me.  Edited by Deacon Jim Knipper © 2013.  Clear Faith Publishing LLC