The Power of Water

When I was a child, I nearly drowned. I was playing in the Atlantic Ocean at Jones Beach, Long Island when I ventured a bit too far from shore. I was not a great swimmer and when I saw that big wave coming, I panicked. Seeing the fear on my face, my aunt Carolyn yelled, “Just let go and ride the wave.” I did and it carried me safely to shore. Water is powerful.

The power of water prompts surrender. I consider the glorious and breathtaking sights of nature, such as the Grand Canyon, that have been carved and molded by water and I marvel at the power of water to reshape and reform. Water changes things.

In Today’s Gospel, Jesus tells the Samaritan woman that he is the “Living water.” Allowing herself to surrender to this living water, the Samaritan woman is changed. In her encounter with Jesus, the woman’s story is rewritten. Freed from her past she can now live in newness and joy.

This Gospel, which appears in year A of our lectionary, is always proclaimed on the third Sunday in Lent when there is a Scrutiny Rite for our Elect. This reading is particularly appropriate for the Elect, who are preparing for baptism, and who, like the Samaritan woman, long to be changed by knowing Jesus.

Because we are currently in year A, all of us will hear this Gospel this weekend. May we who are already baptized be moved to surrender to a deeper encounter with Jesus. May we, like the Samaritan woman, allow Jesus to rewrite our story. In the trials and turmoil of life, may we trust the grace of our baptism to carry us safely to shore.