(Adobe Stock Photo)
By Patricia Kopriva
The story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman is comforting and reassuring ground for me. Though familiar and unchanging, I realized something very interesting: while the Bible passages remain the same, it is we who are the dynamic factor. We are the ones who are changing, and in doing that, our perceptions of this passage, or any Bible passage, might change.
At the beginning of the Lay Formation program, I remember seeing this passage as Jesus teaching us that all are welcome to drink the “Living water”. I still believe that to be the case, but I think now this passage is speaking in a deeper way. In our Lay Formation program, we are learning how to evangelize, how to witness and share our faith with others.
In this passage, I feel that Jesus might be showing us how to draw people to him. He met this woman, did not know her, did not judge her, but instead spoke to her. He saw and helped her to see where she was in her life and helped her to see where she “could be” in her life. A life filled with the truth of Jesus. In this one small interaction, Jesus touched the heart of this Samaritan woman, and she spoke to people in her city, her words causing them to want to know more of Jesus, and in turn, they came to hear Jesus and accepted him as Saviour of the World.
As I said, I am an evolving person; a person who may understand or perceive the same things in different ways depending on where I am in my life. I imagine this is the case for many other people as well. That being said, I would think my understanding of scriptural passages might continue to change, and Jesus, in the scriptures, will meet me where I am at any particular moment in time. As Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well, I hope he will keep meeting me at my own well, and I hope I can, in turn, meet those I encounter at their “wells” and share the “Good News” with them.
This year’s Renew Lent reflections are offered by participants in the Archdiocese of Regina’s Lay Formation Program, a journey of faith, prayer, and leadership development for parish ministry. Our next intake begins in Fall 2027. If you’d like to learn more, feel free to contact Deacon Eric Gurash at [email protected] or 306-721-6724.
