DRINKING LIVING WATER

 

The story of the meeting of Jesus with the Samaritan woman at the well is worth reading in its entirety as there is a lot to reflect upon. I want to focus upon the line where Jesus tells us that His food is to do the will of the one (His Father) who sent Him. I think the reason I like this text is that it mentions food, something that is quite dear to all of us. In fact, without food, we die. And here, Jesus tells us that His food is to do His Father’s will.

We need to reflect upon this idea often. If we do, dare I say that we will find ourselves drawn into a deeper and deeper walk of discipleship. We live in a world that extols individualism and self-sufficiency. This is not what the Christian life is all about. The Christian life is all about realizing that we have to place our lives in the hands of God and that if we desire fulfillment, then the only way we will gain it is through obedience of the Father’s will. Whether we like it or not, this is the reality that we are forced to accept if we want to be disciples of Jesus. Jesus tells the Samaritan woman that anyone who drinks the water drawn from the well will have to come back for more water at a later time. If they drink from the water He provides they will never be thirsty again. It is quite obvious that Jesus is speaking of our spiritual thirst for truth and God. This is something the ordinary world will never be able to satisfy and hence we will have to keep coming back to the well to draw some ideas. However, if we embrace God’s will for our life, things can and will be very different.

Furthermore, Jesus hints that His Father’s will is more often than not focused upon evangelization. The talk about harvest has nothing to do with literal food; it is a metaphor for evangelization. The sooner we realize this, the better, as we will be more easily drawn into the service of the Gospel that God requires of all who believe in Him. Let us pray that we will be able to let go of the attractions of the world and embrace the will of God — the only thing that can fulfil our empty lives. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

 

Reflection Question:

What is the focus of my life? Am I living for myself or do I have a healthy level of service in my life?

 

Jesus, help me to know Your will for my life so that I can pursue it and seek to satisfy the longing in my heart for Your love.

 

St. Augusta, pray for us.