Feb
24
The Thirsty Israelites & The Woman at the Well
February 24, 2008 |
We are on a long journey - we all know it. Our lives are a path. Sometimes we will be able to see miles ahead of us. Other times - most times - we will only be able to see a few feet down the road.
And it is in these times of limited visibility when we need to have hope that God is leading us along his path - that our life has meaning.
In today’s readings, one gets it - another has no clue. In today’s first reading, the Israelites have been wandering in the desert with a promise of getting to the “land of milk and honey.” But, they are thirsty and wanting. They become unsure of themselves and where God is leading them. They rebel and exclaim “[w]hy did you ever make us leave Egypt? Was it just to have us die here of thirst . . . Is the LORD in our midst or not?”
God responds by having Moses provide water from a rock - but he is not happy with the Israelites’ lack of hope.
To the contrary, today’s Gospel has the story of the Samaritan woman at the well. Now, she gets it. She knows she is speaking with Christ. ”I can see that you are a prophet.” “I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Christ; when he comes, he will tell us everything.”
And then, she tells her fellow townsmen and they respond likewise.
Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him . . . [m]any more began to believe in him because of his word, and they said to the woman, “We no longer believe because of your word; for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the savior of the world.”
So, where the Israelites didn’t believe, the Samaritans did. Instead of receiving God’s stern disapproval, the Samaritans receive the majesty of Christ.
So, who are we? Are we the Israelites or the Samaritans? Do we believe in God’s plan for us, even if we can’t see in front of us or do we doubt and rebel against God? Do we exclaim with our impoverished and thirsty spirit - ”[i]s the LORD within our midst or not?”
That’s a good challenge for the next three weeks of Lent - having the faith and the hope to truly believe God is in our midst, guiding us along his path.
St. Paul, as usual, sums it up perfectly in the second reading, which is from the Letter to the Romans.
We boast in hope of the glory of God. And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts . . .
Let’s have the hope of St. Paul and the Samaritans. Let us hope in the Lord’s plan - even if we can’t see the path we are on.
We may be thirsty - just like the Israelites and the Samaritans. But let us truly believe what Jesus says in today’s Gospel -
[W]hoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst;
the water I shall give will become in him
a spring of water welling up to eternal life.
Drinking of the water of Christ will help us stay on the path and remain hopeful in where God is leading us.
