Reflection based on the reading of John 4:1-42.
I restarted the Bible in a Year podcast with Father Mike. I completed it last year, but I desired to read the entire Bible again. This week, we are at the first Messianic checkpoint which is the reading of the Gospel of John. Recently, we read John 4:1-42 which is the story of the Samaritan woman at the well.
Coincidentally, I was also rewatching Season 2 of The Chosen and episode eight landed on the same day of the Bible reading. Guess what episode eight was about? The Samaritan woman at the well.
Jesus decides to travel with the disciples through Samaria. This is an unusual choice as there was great animosity between Samaritans and Jews. The hate was so strong that Jewish people usually crossed the Jordan River rather than pass through Samaria.
Why the hatred? Quick history lesson: The Babylonian empire had conquered the lands and a Jewish diaspora occurred. Many Jews were sent elsewhere, but others remained. Those who remained intermarried with others in the region. Seventy years passed and the Jewish people who were ousted came back to their original lands. Those who had stayed and intermarried tried to help rebuild the city of Jerusalem, but the returning Jews claimed they were culturally unclean and no longer a part of their group and sent them away. The Samaritans decided to build their own temple which the Jews stated was not the true place of worship. Samaritans also created their own version of the Old Testament which upset the Jewish people. The feud and hatred between the two groups grew with each passing generation.
Jesus wanted to start mending the rift between the groups. It is also an outreach attempt to expand the love of God to others in the world.
She was at the well at the hottest part of the day because she was snubbed by the other women of her community. But she was not snubbed by Jesus. Instead, Jesus ministered to her and gave her kindness and grace. He revealed himself as the Messiah to the Samaritan woman even before he announced it publicly. Jesus and his companions stayed in Samaria for two days ministering to the people in Samaria with her invitation.
This story was so present in my mind, I had to change from *Centering Prayer to time spent in *Imaginative Prayer.
During the designated quiet time, my imagination flared up. Instead of fighting with it, I decided to follow where the spirit led.
I saw a grassy hill and as I climbed the hill, I saw Jacob’s well where Jesus had met the Samaritan. As I stood at the well, I saw Jesus approach me. I was surprised and stayed very still. He met me at the well and asked me to get him a drink. As I did so he “told me everything I had ever done.” (Based on John 4: 39). He told me my life story, faults and all. Despite my failings, he offered me his water of eternal life. He told me to remember my baptismal vows. He showed me grace and compassion and then he was gone.
I was overwhelmed. I hadn’t expected the prayer time to go like this at all. I finished this time in peace and thankfulness. I also felt God encouraging me to share it.
If Jesus approached you, what would be your life story? And if Jesus offered you grace and compassion, what would he say to you?
This is just one story of many where Jesus showed love and compassion to all in need of his grace. May we follow his example.
Prayer:
“O God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our only Savior, the Prince of Peace: Give us grace seriously to lay to heart the great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions; take away all hatred and prejudice, and whatever else may hinder us from godly union and concord; that, as there is but one Body and one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of us all, so we may be all of one heart and of one soul, united in one holy bond of truth and peace, of faith and charity, and may with one mind and one mouth glorify thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
bcponline.org/Misc/Prayers.html
*Centering Prayer is a time of quiet where you allow your thoughts to pass by, but not interact with them. You pick a word or phrase and focus on the phrase. You are simply resting in God’s presence. It’s a silent prayer of Christian contemplation. We simply sit in the presence of God and dwell with Him in the moment. You are building upon your relationship with God and working of your self-discipline to do so.
*Imaginative Prayer is by St. Ignatius of Loyola. He created a manual of Spiritual Exercises which includes what we now know as Imaginative Prayer. We allow the Holy Spirit to use our imagination and root ourselves in the sacred text of the Bible. Often the Gospel is used for this practice.
More information:
Jesus and the Outcast Woman at the Well (youtube.com) Clip from The Chosen.
(44) The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) [All Episodes] – YouTube
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) on Apple Podcasts
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