Tuesday, March 14, 2023

Encounter

 

At the conclusion of her encounter with Jesus, the Samaritan woman experiences untold joy at the center of her being. She has been liberated from both personal sin and social ostracism, and her life has been revolutionized by her budding friendship with Christ. This explosive joy launches her on a life of apostolic action. Her apostolate is the dynamic fruit that proves the authenticity of her conversion: she wants the whole world—even those who had ostracized her—to experience the deliverance and the love she has received from Jesus. Thus, transformed into an apostle, the woman abandons her water jar, symbol of her previous life and all its hardships, by the edge of the well and hurries full of zeal to her fellow Samaritans to proclaim the Gospel to them. She has found the Messiah and wants them, too, to recognize him as such and so experience the joy of salvation bestowed on her by Jesus of Nazareth. 

Initial from an ancient Cistercian manuscript. Reflection by Father Simeon.