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 all living things. In rituals water was used to cleanse and renew, and ever since the escaping Hebrews were led by Moses through the Reed Sea water was regarded as a primary element of salvation.
Exodus 17:3-7 The Hebrew people under the leadership of Moses are at Mount Horeb which is often identified as Jebel Musa (Mount of Moses), that is, Mount Sinai, near St Catherine’s monastery. The people’s complaint or grumble is sarcastically expressed as, ‘Did you bring us out here so we could all die of hunger and thirst?’ The situation is that the authority of both Moses and God is being questioned, so Moses has no choice but to appeal to YHWH.
The instruction from God is a confirmation of the divine presence with the people. As a person of deep faith Moses is aware and in awe of the presence of God. Are there times in our day when we stop and become aware of the presence of God? Moses has the divine assurance that God will be standing before him on the rock from which life-giving water will flow. The elders bore witness to the water that flowed from the rock.
This phenomenon could be explained by the presence of water-bearing formations of soft porous limestone which could yield ground water if the rock were given a sharp blow to break its crust. But that is not the point of the story. It is about finding a source of life in a most unlikely place. The place was called Massah (trial/testing) and Meribah (quarrel). The lesson is complete when the amazing source of water is attributed to God, not Moses.
Psalm 95 These verses are a poetic call to listen to the voice of the Lord specifically transmitted by the prophets. The psalm could come from the time of the religious reform of Josiah or from the post-exilic period of the restoration of temple worship in Jerusalem.
It recalls the faithless questioning of God’s presence by the escapees from Egypt centuries before. It clearly reminds the Jewish people, and us, of the importance of listening to the prophets. When was the last time I opened my Bible and reflected on a word of Scripture?
How do we identify our prophets? All of the ancient Hebrew prophets were treated as ratbags by their opponents who had something to lose by following the prophetic spirituality. Just look at Jesus and those who opposed him. The authentic prophet fits comfortably in the world and spirituality of Scripture. If today we hear his voice or read his message, let’s be open to it and ponder it deeply.
Romans 5:1-2, 5-8 This section of Paul’s letter is the conclusion of his previous remarks,
namely, we have been rescued by the life and death of Jesus Christ and have ended up in a privileged position. And that position is that we are at peace with God and now have access to the gracious power of God that is extended to human beings.
Relationship can only be gauged in terms of intensity, not quantity
It is good to realise that the ‘state of grace’ is a lot more than a theological statement or formula. Many of us were taught that it meant we have no sin on our soul – again this is fairly unhelpful theological language. Paul is here using relational language; he is talking about our relationship with God. Relationship cannot be reckoned as quantity, like, I have more grace today than I had yesterday or I go to Mass to get the grace. We don’t actually turn up at God’s ‘grace shop’ and bargain for more. Grace is all about relationship, and relationship can only be gauged in terms of intensity, not quantity.
How does love grow, or how does a friendship blossom? It is a question of intensity. Love for a parent, child, sibling or friend that is wholesome will intensify and unfold in strength, depth and fervour. It doesn’t grow bigger with add-ons but burns more strongly with warmth and connection.
For Paul, this kind of intense love and connection is exemplified to the nth degree in the love sacrifice that Christ made for us.
John 4:5-42 This is a brilliant piece of writing that shows how openness can work and transform in the most unexpected ways. The earliest Jewish disciples of Jesus would immediately connect this episode with two similar meetings from Israelite history, i) the meeting of their ancestor Jacob who encountered the love of his life, Rachel, at a well, and ii) Abraham’s servant Eliezar who asks Rebekah for a drink at the well. We are brought up suddenly at the beginning where the Samaritan woman draws attention to a number of taboos that highlighted differences and disconnection. Jesus breaks the taboo of talking in a public place to a woman who is i) a Samaritan and ii) not a relative. He disposes of another taboo by proposing to drink from the woman’s bucket – an unclean vessel. Straightaway we get a perspective on his priorities. His person-to-person interaction with this woman is more important than social taboos. As a female Samaritan this woman is a marginalised member of an unorthodox society.
Jesus suggests that if she could see deeply into this encounter and discern who he was, she would ask him for the water of life that he has to offer. She reads him literally thinking that he is being ridiculous, offering water when he doesn’t even have a bucket for drawing water from the well. But Jesus is talking about water that gives authentic life for the spirit, not well-water for a parched throat. His response reminds us of the words in the book of Sirach (24:19-21) where Wisdom invites people to eat and drink of what she has to offer in order to give life to the spirit.
The history of interpretation of the next part of this passage offers a more or less literal and a symbolic explanation of the woman’s five husbands. There is no definite consensus on the issue. What does seem clear is that the woman’s marital history was morally suspect. She could be a symbol of what Jewish eyes would see as an apostasy of the Samaritan religion and its refusal to accept the Jerusalem temple and the traditions and scriptures of mainstream Judaism.
Authentic worship occurs when people are prompted by the Spirit and truth
In response to the woman’s question regarding the proper place to worship God, Jesus replies that there is no right place. Authentic worship is not connected to a place or external circumstances, but occurs when people are prompted by the Spirit and truth. And in this respect the evangelist is alluding to the fact that true worship has its foundation in Jesus. This is then followed by the declaration that Jesus is the Messiah.
What constitutes authentic worship for us? Is it adoration before the Blessed Sacrament? Is it prayer prompted by a statue? Is it our attention and devotion at Mass? Possibly all of the above, but according to Jesus, place and circumstance are nowhere near as important as responding to the Spirit and making connection with the heart.
At this point the disciples return from the town with food and notice that Jesus had been talking with a Samaritan woman. Unusual, they thought, and perhaps not kosher, but they didn’t bring it up. In the final scene we picture the woman going into her town and telling people about Jesus. She is, in fact, doing the job of an apostle taking the word of Jesus to her community. As a result of her missionary effort many of her townsfolk believed in Jesus.
We could reflect on the story told of St Francis of Assisi inviting one of the novices to walk with him to the village to preach. They walked through the village and interacted with the people without actually preaching. The novice asked when they were going to preach and Francis replied that their conduct did the preaching. Our words, behaviour and general interactions with people tell a story about our convictions and our values.
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Action expresses priorities.
– Mahatma Gandhi
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A man left work one Friday afternoon. But, being pay-day, instead of going home he stayed out the
entire weekend partying with the boys and spending his entire pay. When he finally appeared at home, Sunday night, he was confronted by a very angry wife and was harangued for nearly two hours with a tirade befitting his actions. Finally, his wife stopped the nagging and simply said to him, ‘How would you like it if you didn’t see me for two or three days?’ To which he replied, ‘That would be fine with me.’
Monday went by and he didn’t see his wife. Tuesday and Wednesday came and went with the same result. But on Thursday, the swelling went down just enough where he could see her a little out of the corner of his left eye.
by Laurie Woods