| Sunday, February 27, 2005 Meditation John 4:5-42 Jesus was weary and thirsty when he stopped at Jacob’s well in the middle of the Judean desert. He had nothing to draw up the water, so he waited for someone to come. The first person who showed up was a Samaritan woman whose loose lifestyle caused her to be shunned by her neighbors. Seeing this woman, Jesus did the unthinkable. He offered her “living water” that had the power to cleanse her and make her whole. Somehow, Jesus gave her such an incredible thirst for God that she couldn’t refuse. No one had talked to her like that before. What is this life-changing water? St. Hippolytus explains: “This is the water of the Spirit. . . . It is the water of Christ’s baptism; it is our life. If you go with faith to this renewing fountain . . . you cease to be a slave and become an adopted son; you come forth radiant as the sun and brilliant with justice; you come forth a son of God and fellow-heir with Christ” (On the Epiphany). The beauty of this water of life is that it is constantly flowing. From the moment we were baptized into it, that water is available to us every day. And it’s a good thing, too! As challenging as it is to live in this world—as much as sin and temptation threaten to make us feel parched, it’s comforting to know that we can be refreshed every time we turn to the Lord. The amazing thing about drinking Jesus’ water of life is that even as he quenches our thirst, he also mysteriously increases our thirst. It’s like drinking a fine wine. One sip so ignites your senses that you want to take another. Jesus’ love is so satisfying that we want to drink it in as much as we can. It’s as if we can never get enough of it. May we never stop drinking from the fountain of living water! For there alone is where we will find the healing and refreshment we so desire! “Thank you, Lord, for your invigorating water of life! At Mass today I want to drink deeply in faith and surrender.” |
 |