In the long version of today’s Gospel reading, there is a lot to digest. Jesus is sitting alone by Jacob’s Well, and the disciples have gone into town for food. A Samaritan woman approaches the well to draw water. She is alone, not allowed to come to the well with the other women of the village because of her lifestyle. Jesus begins the conversation by asking her for water; He makes the first move. The woman is astonished that He speaks to her…she’s a woman and a Samaritan, after all, and she questions Him. But this is Jesus’ way. He offers her “living water”, and it appears that initially she doesn’t understand His meaning. Through the course of their conversation, she eventually comes to realize that Jesus is the Messiah. She leaves quickly and returns to her village where she shares her news. The “water” that Jesus has given her is faith, and through her He has reached many other people in the village; the Gospel tells us that “many more began to believe in Him because of His word.”

Jesus offered the Samaritan woman the gift of faith, but it was up to her (and her neighbors) to accept it. The same holds true for us. Accepting the gift of faith can sometimes be uncomfortable, as we come face to face with our sins and failings just as the woman did. Just as Jesus knew all about her adulterous lifestyle, God knows all of our failings…nothing is hidden from Him. Lent is our time to acknowledge those failings, to repent of them, and to ask for God’s grace and mercy to combat them. We should not grumble against God as the Israelites did in the desert; indeed, today’s psalm warns against doing that. Rather, we need to humbly acknowledge our failings and our need for God’s grace. The grace, just like the water, is there for the asking.

Reflection by parishioner John Ceglarek