Take a few moments to read the gospel lesson, paying particular attention to the water jar. In this country, in this day and age, when we generally have all the water we want and need at the turn of the tap, it is hard for us to imagine what life is like when you have to go to the village well to fill your water jar for all your daily household needs, drinking, cooking, cleaning, washing. That is what life was like for the woman at the well near Sychar. Since we can’t live without water, in such a culture that necessity raises the importance of that simple clay water jug. No house could be without one, and it had to be filled with fresh water every day.

Think about that for a minute. Picture the scene with Jesus and the woman at the well. Notice the water jar. It was the vehicle that brought them together. Then see what happens as a result of the woman’s encounter with him. She “left her water jug and went back to the city. She said to the people, ‘Come and see.’ “ One of her most important possessions she left right there without a second thought as she went to proclaim the good news. There she is, one of the first Christian evangelists—an outcast Samaritan and a woman to boot. That’s how an encounter with Christ Jesus can change

us, turn us around in a completely new direction.

The woman at the well was thirsty, ready for the living water that Jesus had to offer. At this point in our Lenten journey, are we ready for such a divine encounter?