Photo by Levi XU on Unsplash
Man, there is nothing like being very thirsty on a hot day. And there is nothing like the relief when we get water to drink on that same very hot day. Water is awesome. It has the power to give life, and in the case of flooding, to take life. Too little water, we die. Too much water, we die. It is easy, then to see the power of water and why we use it in faith as such a powerful symbol.
The people understandably became thirsty in the desert. No water. Hot. Dry. They became cranky and grumpy. Yet God provided. God made sure that the people always had what they needed, even if it was not what they wanted.
The Woman at the well was thirsty too, though she did not know what she was really thirsty for. She is focusing on water that comes from a well, while Jesus speaks of the water of Baptism where one will never be thirsty again.
There is a fear of death in the first reading. There is an invitation to life in the second. And when this invitation is given, the woman, so hungry, becomes the witness to this new life, even though we might wonder about her lived example. Five husbands. Living with number six. Not a person we would expect to be the center of Jesus’ world, as a Samaritan and as a woman. Water. Will you drown in your sin or allow your soul to be refreshed?
Let us pray.
Dear Jesus, I get grumpy and cranky because I forget how it is you can refresh my soul. When the journey of my life gets hard, I too quickly turn away and choose sin. But you never let that keep you from inviting me to a new and refreshing life when you call me to remember I am baptized. Help me to live the call of my baptism and seek refreshment, for myself and others. I make this prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Music: Cheezy Piano Medley by Alexander Nakarada
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/4833-cheezy-piano-medley
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
