Today we are given the great compassionate story of the woman of Samaria to contemplate. The fact that the story takes place in isolated country away from everyone else makes the scene come more to the fore on the canvass. We are given a country scene. The time is around midday when the sun is hot in the sky. There is a well. There is Jesus sitting quietly by the well. He looks like He is waiting for someone. That is the scene that invites us to wonder. Who is He waiting for? Who does He know in this remote place? A woman approaches. She looks wary at the stranger. He is clearly a Jew. She a Samaritan woman would never talk to a stranger man, least of all a Jewish stranger man. She needs the water so she has to come close. He asks her for a drink. Why couldn’t he ask someone else and not be bothering her? But He wants to bother her. Bother her sounds a bit harsh. Maybe we should say that He wants to have a chance to talk with her. Deep in His prayers Jesus heard this woman crying out in desperation. She needs saving badly. The poor thing has to come to the well when nobody is around. The normal well time is later on in the day when all the women gather for a natter and a bit of news. She is not welcome to join them. Rather than to have to endure the isolation she feels it better to come at midday when everybody is sheltering from the heat. There is nobody about, except this stranger. It doesn’t help her that this stranger talks to her. If she wants to get her water then she has to talk to Him. The sooner the better to get this over with. She wants to get back to the shade. She is more comfortable staying indoors away from people. This woman’s shame shines out brightly in the midday sun. She can’t hide it here. Even the stranger is able to see it. If you knew nothing about her, you have to wonder why this woman fetches her water in the heat of the day when common sense dictates that it is better to do this later. Gradually Jesus enters into her darkness. He is persistent, this stranger. He’s a bit nosy. The woman opens up like a flower. She has a wounded wing. She carries her sorrow. It is never the right time. Now, in this moment she is invited to let it all go. Throw your baggage down the well and bring back some life giving water. How about that then? Gazing at the scene we are touched by the way Jesus is present to the woman. He looks like He has all the time in the world. He is contented to just sit and wait. His whole attitude is presence. He is a pulse and a heartbeat away from this woman. She knows it. She knows where He is leading her. Like all of us, we are only going to open up when we feel we can trust who it is is asking us. I will not tell just any person. Often, I will not even tell family and friends. Sometimes it is easier to open up to a stranger. You pause and you calculate. Can I take a chance on this one? My supervisor trainer in the hospital told us this about being a Hospital Chaplain. The patient lies in the bed terrified. All around are doctors and nurses and machines. Every conversation is a whisper. The patient is waiting for the right person to come at the right time so that they can open up and tell how they are feeling. Jesus is that person for that woman. Jesus, working in me is that person for every person who needs someone to listen.
With love, Fr. Pat