Exodus 17:3-7; Ps. 95:1-2, 6-9; Rom. 5:1-2, 5-8; Jn. 4:5-42
“Lord…give me living water” to worship in Spirit and truth. God is Spirit and the living water comes in Spirit and truth for us to do the will of the Father. Jesus is the messiah sent to do the will of the Father “and to finish his work”. Jesus now send us to continue in the harvest reaping and sowing the work of God. We share in the fruits of the work done by others who came before and now it is our turn to sow for the future of those to come. What we reap is from the sacrifice of those who responded to the voice of God in salvation history and who proclaim “Jesus is Lord”. What we sow is testimony to the faith we proclaim in our own calling to sacrifice for love of God. The gifts we receive is seed for sowing a harvest yet to come.
Today in the gospel we enter into the process of conversion with the Samaritan woman. Her encounter begins with a man she recognizes as a Jew thirsty for water. Her reaction is to question first that which separates her from him, she a Samaritan and he a Jew. She worships in her “mountain” of Sychar and he in Jerusalem. We often find ourselves more concerned questioning with what divides us from others, rich or poor, minority or majority, race, creed, male or female that with what unites us. If we allow what separates us to dominate our hearts then soon there is no one left to unite our hearts with, no other and we miss out on God who comes to us in other as he appears now to the Samaritan woman as Jesus.
The next step in her conversion is questioning this Jewish man’s identity, “Are you greater than our father Jacob?” Jesus response is an offering of an eternal gift “whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst”. Her response is to seek and ask “so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.” Jesus then tells her what she has not confessed and in this her conversion rises to believe Jesus is a prophet. For many in our world Jesus is a historical figure, a wise “prophet” with good teachings but difficult teaching to follow. This level of conversion allows a person to accept only the teaching they justify to themselves and to ignore what is not in their “comfort zone”. Truth and acceptance of truth is the beginning of conversion and now the woman sees a prophet. Who is Jesus in my heart?
The woman then “listens to him” and his teaching of God the Father in Spirit and truth becoming more united to him by proclaiming “I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Christ; when he comes, he will tell us everything.” To this Jesus responds, “I am he, the one speaking to you.” Her heart is now opened to the message, she leaves her jar and goes back to town to tell the people “come see…Could he possibly be the Christ?” We are invited to “come see” what Jesus is ready to reveal in us when we worship in Spirit and truth. We “come see” as a community together and he reveals himself in the celebration of the Eucharist. “Come see” what the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ” is ready to reveal to us as the body of Christ when we receive him in Spirit and truth. We see Christ and “he will tell us everything” when we listen to his voice in the Word, the teaching, the prayers, and receive him in the Eucharist.
Now the woman in community with her town gather and invite “Christ” to stay with them proclaiming “we know that this is truly the savior of the world.” This happens because they too come to “listen to him” and his word leads them to conversion. Jesus calls us to fellowship “where two or three are gathered in his name” he comes to us to unite us in Spirit and truth. From stranger to Jew to prophet, to Christ and finally to “savior of the world”.
Is Christ my savior or am I still on this journey of faith resisting the call to worship in Spirit of truth? The Spirit is the gift of the Holy Spirit given to us at baptism. The Spirit of God is ready but where is our spirit of faith, hope, and love? The Spirit responds to the will given us to go forth, take the next step of faith, trust in the Lord, “come and see”. Surrender is a powerful force not of weakness but of strength when our surrender is to God. Let us invite him now to give us living water, the hour has come and he is “the one speaking with you” in your heart.
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