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Lectio Divina Newsletter

Dear Friend,

In this newsletter we reflect on the intriguing interchange between Jesus and the Samaritan Woman.

Bishop David Walker considers the importance of this encounter and how it is filled with symbolism and recurring themes.

We remember Sr Verna Holyhead's wise words on John 4: 5-42.

Virginia Fortunat shares her reflection and understanding about the Woman at the Well and Dr Laurie Woods explores all Readings for the third Sunday in Lent.

Virginia Ryan ponders the power of a conversation.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

I’m desperate for a coffee – can I get you one?

Who would think that a conversation over a coffee could change your life. That’s exactly what happens in this week’s Gospel, John 4:5-42. Jesus is hot and thirsty when he meets a Samaritan woman by Jacob’s well. With bold confidence he asks; ‘Give me a drink’. She is startled and incredulous but engages in an intriguing conversation with Jesus. And so, between them, they listen, respond,…

Third Sunday of Lent – Year A

Today’s readings focus on the motif of living water. In the Hebrew Bible it is written as the ‘water of life’ (maim khaim), an expression that has a rhythmic ring to it as well as overtones of the sweetness of fresh running water. People in the ancient Middle East saw a divine power working in water to bring fertility to the land and sustain life for…

Reflection for the third Week of Lent. John 4:5-42

The Samaritan woman shows extraordinary courage simply by entering into conversation with a Jewish stranger. At Jacob’s well, what begins as a practical request for water becomes a moment of deep encounter, a dialogue that gives us permission to speak honestly with God. This woman comes to the well carrying her story. Her life is marked by complexity, disappointment, fractured relationships, and unfulfilled longing. Yet the…

From Building on Rocks – Sr Verna Holyhead sgs

(page 36-37) . . . None of this extraordinary encounter could have happened if Jesus had not been the most radical liberator who breaks taboos and crosses boundaries. He asks the Samaritan woman for a drink, crossing gender, national, religious, and moral boundaries. He is free to be fully human, humbly admitting his exhaustion, and asking a despised woman for a drink. For people in barren…

Come and See – The Samaritan Woman at the Well

Lectio Divina Reflection – Third Sunday of Lent (John 4:5-42) Encounter at the Well The Gospel of the Samaritan woman presents one of the most personal encounters in the scripture. It unfolds not in a sacred building or public gathering but beside a well at midday. Jesus arrives tired from travelling and sits down to rest. His weariness matters because it reveals a God willing to…

The Temptation of Jesus

Matthew 4:1-11 – The Temptation of Jesus in the Wilderness Lent always brings us into the desert, and it is no accident that the Church places before us this Gospel of the Temptation of Jesus on the First Sunday. Before we speak of fasting, prayer, or sacrifice, we are invited to look at Christ – led by the Spirit into the wilderness. Notice that carefully: it…

Lectio Reflection – Third Sunday of Lent – John 4:5-42 (Year A 2026)

The gospel today of how Jesus dialogues with the woman at the Samaritan well is really about the fact that God is not to be worshiped in places or temples…

Lectio Reflection – Second Sunday of Lent – Matthew 17:1-9 (Year A 2026)

The gospel today is about the transfiguration of the lord on the mountain. While it tells us who Jesus is, basically this whole scene is for the disciples. They have…

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