Scripture: "The water I shall give will become a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
Reflection: Thirst of one kind or another launches all our efforts. Whether it is a thirst for love, for security, or a deep longing for meaning, human beings are thirsty types. Thirst led the Samaritan woman to the well. She comes in the heat of noon, not like the other women of the town who would have come in the cool morning. Was it shame for her lifestyle?
I imagine that the thirst that led her to Jesus was the same thirst that led her through all the detours of her past and all the lovers of her life. She had to recognize that her thirst was never really quenched by them. This is hard to do. It's hard to recognize our deepest thirsts, and we can get confused. Her wrong answer made her thirstier still.
The Samaritan woman allowed Jesus to speak to her deeply and to lay her heart bare. She also found that her real thirsts were starting to become quenched. She went from being an antagonist of Jesus to being his prophet in the town, proclaiming Him to the very people she had been avoiding that day at the well.
Meditation: Where do we look to meet our deepest thirsts? Do they make us thirstier still?
Prayer: Jesus, help me clean up the muddy waters of my life. Be a spring refreshing my soul, for only your love will satisfy. Wishing you every blessing in this third week of Lent! Fr. Phil
