“Whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst.”
John 4:14

Last Sunday’s Gospel reading was the story of the Samaritan Woman and Jesus at the well. This beautiful story symbolises the extraordinary relationship that each one of us has with our Heavenly Father. Her physical thirst for water represents, not only for her but also for us, our search, our thirst for meaning and purpose in our lives. This story of ‘the woman at the well’ asks us to remember today all the ways we have experienced the presence of Jesus, and all the ways we have experienced his love for us. It asks us to consider how humble, kind, sensitive, understanding and forgiving he has been with us. In return, we are asked to extend the firm hand of friendship and the over-flowing waters of mercy, compassion, acceptance, kindness and forgiveness, to all the people who come into our lives day after day.

Lent is a time for each of us to seek out a face to face encounter with Jesus. Through prayer, contemplation on scripture or reflection on encountering Jesus in the face of others, we build a one to one relationship with Jesus. When we acknowledge this relationship, like the Samaritan woman, we are compelled to act on it.