“Could he possibly be the Christ?”

The Gospel tells us that the woman at the well had been with five men and was now with a sixth. What was the Samaritan woman looking for in those six men? Pope Benedict XVI writes, “The woman is made aware of what in actuality she has always known but to which she has not always adverted: that she thirsts for life itself and that all the assuaging that she seeks and finds cannot slake this living, elemental thirst…There comes to light the real dilemma, the deep seated waywardness, of her existence; she is brought face to face with herself. What brings this about in an encounter with Jesus? Pontius Pilate will declare: ‘Behold the man!’ From our own living and elemental thirst, like the woman at the well, we do just that, giving ourselves to this man who, in his thirst (“I thirst!”), asks us for a drink. We are certain that at last we will ‘have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ Our ‘hope does not disappoint.’ We will not die in our thirst. The Lord is in our midst. Finally satisfaction can happen.” [1]
 
What are we thirsty for? What are the elemental thirsts of man? How do we satisfy these thirsts, sometimes away from God?
 
It is through a conversation that the woman comes to believe that Jesus is the Christ. We don’t know if the conversation takes ten minutes or takes all day. The importance is that the woman enters into conversation with Christ. When we enter into conversation with Christ, conversation leads to conversion.
 
The women represents all of us.  Many times we ask the question, “Who are You?” to Christ.  Asking the question “Who are You?” in this Gospel is a process which not only answers the question “Who are You?” but also asks the question “Who am I?” In finding out who Christ is, the woman is discovering who she is. Saint Francis of Assisi was known to pray a simple prayer. With open arms, gazing at a Crucifix, he would say, “Who are You? And who am I?”  This process for the woman and for us takes seven steps.
 
Step One – Jesus is different, the woman says, “How can you a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?”
 
In what ways do we feel different than Christ and does that keep me from unity with Him?
What is our view right now of Christ and what has shaped that view?
 
Step Two – We sometimes doubt that Christ can do anything for us.  The woman has a lack of Faith and says, “Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep; where then can you get this living water? She has moved from first calling Jesus, “Jew” to now  calling Him “Sir” which is a sign of respect.
 
Do we lack Faith in Christ?
What excuses have we come up with in the past and maybe still hold, excuses that keep Christ from helping us?
What are our prejudices in life that keep us from moving from seeing someone as different to seeing someone with respect?
 
Step Three – Christ offers something we want and we want it not necessarily for spiritual reasons but perhaps for our own convenience or natural reasons.  The women would love to not have to get water every day. Jesus promises water, and the woman wants it so she won’t be thirsty or have to come back to the well.
 
What does Christ offer us?
When have physical things brought you to a deeper love for spiritual things?
 
Step Four – We come to a respect for Christ for what he can do and for who He is.  The woman calls Jesus “Sir” two times after first calling Him “Jew”. She is growing in knowledge and love of Jesus. This goes hand in  hand with the service that will follow.
 
We can make a list of things that Christ has done in our life specifically those in which He has gained our respect.
 
Step Five – “I can see that you are a prophet” Jesus reveals intimate facts about the woman’s life, not with a negative or mean attitude but simply shows her that He knows her.  She then, seeing these facts, calls him “prophet”. She goes from seeing Him as different “Jew” to respecting Him, “Sir” to being intrigued with Him “prophet”.
 
What things has Jesus revealed to us about our self? What does He know about us that no one else knows?
Are we intrigued or fascinated with the person of Jesus? Do we desire to know Him more?
 
Step Six – We spread the message of Christ just as the women went into the town and told people about the man who knew everything about her. Saint Dominic says if you are going to speak, speak to God or about God. 
 
We can make a list of times we have told people about “the man who knows everything about us.”
If this list is not long, what keeps us from telling people about Christ?
If this list is long, what is it that gives us the courage to share the story of “this man” with others?
 
Step Seven – People begin to believe not just because of the woman’s word but because of Christ Himself.
 
We can make a list of people that have told us the story of Christ and helps us come  to believe because of their story (remember stories are not always told in words but with life as well)
What are some reasons that we believe in Christ, not just because of those people, but because of our own personal encounters with Christ?

[1] Magnificat; March 2011; Vol. 12, No. 13; page 364