And if you're really a glutton for punishment and want to watch videos of me preaching these reflections, you can find these videos here on YouTube: Bible Study Reflections
Blessings and good health to all.
_____________________________
About 25 years ago, my former spiritual
director concluded one of our sessions by saying, “Being a disciple of Jesus
Christ is a full-time job.”
We had just spent most of an hour
talking about how we tend to compartmentalize our lives and fail to realize
that discipleship must drive every aspect of life, transcending and permeating
our very being. Yes, indeed, a “full-time job.” So, let’s take a look at the
Gospels and see what this job entails.
When we read the Gospels, two major
themes become obvious.
The first is the story of the Incarnation, of Emmanuel,
God with us. It’s the living revelation of the Good News of Jesus Christ, the
Son of God, the Redeemer of humanity who became one of us. Jesus revealed the
Father to us, taught us, healed us, sacrificed His life for us, rose from the
dead with the promise, the hope, of eternal life, and gave us the gift of the
Holy Spirit to guide us on our journey. It’s quite a story, isn’t it?
But throughout the Gospels another theme
becomes evident: the path to discipleship. As we follow Jesus Christ in the
Gospels, we also witness men and women on their spiritual journey in response
to Jesus’ call.
Some respond at once and, filled with
the Holy Spirit, follow Jesus on the Way [Mk 10:46-52]. Others respond but
hesitate, struggling to understand and accept the fullness of the call [Jn
3:1-21]. Some, touched by doubt and weighed down by the burdens of their
earthly lives, listen to the Word and come to accept the gift of faith [Lk
17:5-6]. Despite all their doubts and struggles, many persevere, and God
blesses them with the gift of the Holy Spirit who reveals all [Jn 16:13].
Sadly, though, so many turned away from
Jesus unable to accept Him as “the Way, the Truth, and the Life” [Jn
14:6]. Some considered Jesus a threat [Mt 2:3-4]; some were shocked by His
teachings [Jn 6:60-66]; and others refused to turn away from the path they
followed, from their own ways [Lk 18:18-23].
Yes, it’s all there in the Gospels – the
good, the bad, and the ugly – but it’s all there to teach us and help us on our
own journeys of discipleship.
Today, as you and I make a brief visit to the
Gospel, let’s try, following the lead of St. Ignatius of Loyola, to place
ourselves in the person of the disciple who encounters Jesus. In other words,
instead of seeing the Gospel as an encounter between Jesus and another, make it
a meditative, personal encounter between you and Jesus. Share the encounter, take part in
it, experience Jesus in the Gospel and realize He’s waiting there for you as
well.
In the Gospels, of course, we find many
wonderful encounters between Jesus and others. Our reflection, though, will
focus on only one, an encounter described beautifully in the Gospel according
to John [Jn 4:4-42].
I know you’re all familiar with the
passage, but God’s Word never gets old. It always teaches us anew. Take a few
minutes now and turn to the Holy Spirit in prayer, asking Him to let the scene come
alive in your heart. Then reread the passage…Do it now!
_______________________
We find ourselves in a small village of
Samaria. Because of centuries-long hostility between Jews and Samaritans, most
Jews avoided Samaria and its people whenever possible. But not Jesus, who came
for all, calling everyone to repentance and faith [Mk 1:15].
Interestingly, Samaritans make several
appearances in the Gospels. We all know the Parable of the Good Samaritan
[Lk 10:25-37], in which the despised foreigner and heretic proves to be far
more charitable than either Jewish priest or Levite. Only the Samaritan fully understands
the commandment -- “Love your neighbor as yourself” [Lv 19:18; Mt 19:19]
– and actually lives it.
 |
| "Then he lifted him up..." [Lk 10:34] |
And who can forget the ten lepers who
begged Jesus for healing? Jesus healed all ten, but Luke tells us the rest of
the story:
"And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked Him. He was a Samaritan. Jesus said in reply, 'Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?" [Lk 17:15-18]
 |
| "One of them, realizing he had been healed, returned" |
Jesus, then, didn’t hesitate to
highlight the faith and works of Samaritans, if only to remind the Jews that
they had no monopoly on God’s love or His truth, and that He had come for the
salvation of all.
With this in mind, we watch as Jesus and
the apostles enter this Samaritan village and make their way toward the well.
With the sun directly overhead, the air
is thick with heat, and the horizon shimmers in the distance. The village is
quiet for it’s the kind of day
when few dare to venture out under the mid-day sun. The village women usually
go to the well in the early morning, or when dusk brings a cooling breeze. Chattering and laughing, sharing the latest gossip, their communal
walks are as much social events as necessity – yes, a welcome break in a
day filled with the hard work of maintaining a home.
But
today, as Jesus approaches the well, He spots a solitary woman making her
way toward us along the path. He expects to see her, for He knows she makes her way to
the well every day at noontime, and always alone. It’s the one time she knows no
one else will be there. For her, there’s never any banter or gossip -- no
laughter, no singing to make the path smoother, no friendly hand thrown
out to steady the jar when she stumbles.
She
tells herself she doesn’t care. She tells herself it means nothing to
her. Bunch of chattering fools. Who needs them?
She
pretends that this solitary walk in the midday heat is her choice.
I prefer
being alone. Besides, I never have to wait -- No one’s in my way, no
petty quarrels, no children underfoot. No people…No problems…No snide
remarks…
Of
course, it hadn't always been this way. Once, in another village, in
another lifetime, she’d been a part of it all -- the laughing, the
singing, the trivial chatter that said so little, but meant so much.
Yes,
once she’d taken her place among the women…as
wife, neighbor, friend. But that was years ago, and many men
ago.
In a
world that was rarely kind to widows and orphans and especially to the divorced, she’d learned how
to make her own way.
In a
world where the weak and powerless were often tossed aside and forced to move in
the shadows, she’d learned how to be strong.
In a
world that measured a woman's worth by her relationships to father, husband, brother,
and son, she’d learned how to be a survivor without them.
But
that survival came at a price – and for her, one small part of that meant going
to the well alone.
“Amen,”
she says aloud. So be it.
There
had been five men in her life, and the current one, though not her husband,
isn’t as bad as some, and better than most.
Things
could be worse, she thinks, and then laughs aloud. The
well could be dry.
As she
walks along the path, the heat rises in waves, scorching her feet right
through her worn sandals. Sweat trickles down her back, and she tastes
the dust deep in her throat. The large jug, though empty, feels especially
heavy today. The trip back to her home will be a long one.
And
then, looking up, she sees Him -- a stranger -- sitting at the well.
 |
| "Give Me a Drink." |
Later, much
later - when everyone asked her about that day: about what He said and
what He did, she would answer:
He told
me about water, and about thirst…and we talked about Jerusalem and
mountains and worship and eternal life. He told me about spirit and truth,
about so very much besides. And He told me about myself. He told me everything,
and I finally understood the difference between surviving and living.
Yes,
indeed, Jesus knew all about her her past, and offered her a future in which the
past didn't count.
He knew
all about her present, and yet, instead of condemning her for her sins, He
loved her for her weaknesses and turned them into strengths. How did He do
that?
He knew
why she went to the well at noon, and yet he still trusted her to proclaim the Good
News to her neighbors.
Come and see a man who told me all that I ever did…” [Jn
4:29, 39]
Imagine
the courage it took for her, of all people, to run back into the very
heart of the village, to proclaim that message to her disapproving neighbors!
What boldness! What faith!
They, too, knew everything she had done…or thought they
did.
Come
and see! She said, to anyone who would listen. Come and
see! He’s waiting for you. Can this be the Christ? And, as John tells us,
they came:
“Many Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of the woman’s
testimony” [Jn 4:39].
Was it
her passion, her boldness? Or was it something else? What made them believe
her? Perhaps it was the living water, the Word of the Word of God, that she
shared with such unbound enthusiasm.
Brothers and sisters, Jesus also knows
everything about you and me. He knows every sin and every act of kindness,
every strength and every weakness.
Notice, too, how wrong we often are
about ourselves, how limited our self-knowledge. What the Samaritan woman saw
as a strength – her avoidance of others, her self-imposed isolation, her
toughness – Jesus recognized for what it was, weakness.
It’s to that weakness that He calls her,
sending her out among them, turning the sinner into a missionary.
This is what Jesus always does when He
has serious work to accomplish in the world: He calls us to the task through
our weaknesses. And by doing so reveals God’s greatness all the more.
Notice, too, that this Samaritan woman
was given a choice. She could have filled her jug and returned home, but
instead she left the jug behind and ran off to spread the word about the Word.
It’s the same choice given to the Apostles as they mended their nets and heard
Jesus say, “Come, follow me.” The call to discipleship always involves a choice,
and always involves leaving something behind.
What about you and me? Will we fill our water jugs, turn our backs on Jesus, and go home? Will we mend our nets and let Jesus walk on by? Can we set aside the things of our lives, the jugs and nets, our willful natures, our possessions, our sinfulness, all that's keeping us from answering His call? Every life has its water jogs and its nets. Can we leave them behind and abandon ourselves to live according to God's will?
The Good News is in the promise of Jesus, given to the Apostles at the Last Supper:
So, you see, Christ wants to dwell within you, to make you a God-bearer like Mary, so you can carry Him to others.
Our nameless Samaritan woman listened to Jesus and responded. She not only became a disciple, but she also became something more: before Peter, before Paul, she became a missionary for Jesus Christ, taking the Word to others.
And perhaps most revealing for you and me, she became that missionary but never left her hometown. She never left her village.
What about you and me? Will we fill our water jugs, turn our backs on Jesus, and go home? Will we mend our nets and let Jesus walk on by? Can we set aside the things of our lives, the jugs and nets, our willful natures, our possessions, our sinfulness, all that's keeping us from answering His call? Every life has its water jogs and its nets. Can we leave them behind and abandon ourselves to live according to God's will?
The Good News is in the promise of Jesus, given to the Apostles at the Last Supper:
"Whoever loves me will keep my Word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him" [Jn 14:23].With Christ deep within you, and seeing Christ all around you in others, your life can become a gift to the world, a visible sign of His love and His final coming.
So, you see, Christ wants to dwell within you, to make you a God-bearer like Mary, so you can carry Him to others.
Our nameless Samaritan woman listened to Jesus and responded. She not only became a disciple, but she also became something more: before Peter, before Paul, she became a missionary for Jesus Christ, taking the Word to others.
And perhaps most revealing for you and me, she became that missionary but never left her hometown. She never left her village.
