Christ, the Source of Living Water 

Exodus 17:3-7; Psalm 94; Romans 5:1-2, 5-8; John 4:5-42

To understand today’s readings and symbolism, we must first understand the liturgical meaning of these coming Sundays of Lent, that is, the 3rd, 4th and 5th. In the Early Church, the Church used the Lenten period to prepare the catechumens to receive baptism at the Easter Vigil. This explains why there are so many references to baptism in the liturgical texts of the three Sundays of Lent leading up to the Easter Vigil, especially in readings from the Word of God

The first stage of Lent, which we have experienced so far, constitutes a general preparation: a call to conversion and to following Christ. The second stage, which begins today with the third Sunday of Lent, is more specifically baptismal and emphasizes communion of life with Christ. We have temporarily left the Gospel according to Matthew, which corresponds to this year’s liturgical cycle, to read three very significant passages from the Gospel according to John during these last Sundays of Lent: the Samaritan woman, the healing of the man born blind, and the resurrection of Lazarus.

These Gospel passages served as the basis for three catechesis on baptism that were given to catechumens during these Sundays of Lent, based on the themes of water, light, and life. The entire Christian community must remember that this same journey, that of the Samaritan woman, the blind man, and Lazarus, is the one that we too have travelled thanks to baptism.

Today, both in the first reading, taken from the book of Exodus, and in the Gospel, the theme of living water appears in association with the journey of faith. Water has great significance in the Old Testament. An example of this is the text from Exodus that we have just heard: in the desert, everything is arid and dry, which is why in the Bible it is a symbol of desolation and death. Water, however, is a symbol of life. Hence, the miraculous water that the Lord brings forth from the rock, struck by Moses’ staff, is one of the great favours received by the people of Israel in the desert. Water is always a blessing from God, a symbol of the outpouring of the Spirit of the Lord that renews the life of the people.

According to the New Testament, Christ is the rock (1Cor 10:4) from which living water springs forth, capable of quenching the thirst of the people walking towards the true promised land. In today’s Gospel, we see Jesus speaking to the Samaritan woman about the gift of God and that living water that lasts for eternal life.

The Gospel according to John presents living water as a symbol of the Holy Spirit, given by Jesus to believers: ‘If anyone thirsts,’ he says, “let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture says, rivers of living water will flow from within them. He said this about the Spirit that those who believed in him were to receive…” (Jn 7:37 ff.).

All this becomes reality in us through baptism: baptism is a bath that washes away our sins, applying Christ’s redemption to us. And baptism communicates to us the Holy Spirit who transforms us into new creatures, makes us reborn as children of God, and is the beginning of a new life, which is the life of grace.

Jesus’ dialogue with the Samaritan woman revolves around the Living Water that the Lord wants to give to his people so that they may satisfy their existential thirst and find meaning in life. The Lord gradually leads the woman to recognize her existential emptiness and realize that only the Lord can satisfy her and give her true happiness. When she discovers this truth, the woman runs to her fellow villagers to tell them about her experience: she is not going to speak from abstract, but rather she is going to tell them about her ‘lived experiences.’ The initial emptiness is transformed into joy.

To have been baptized means to have been transformed into a source of living water. Baptism offers a new life, but not a life that remains intact, rather a life that is communicated, that is offered to others, so that our inner life may grow and increase our faith, hope and love, and also to give life to others. In other words, no one is an island. We influence each other, for better or for worse. Jesus tells his disciples that they are sources of living water, light for the nations, and salt of the earth. All of these are beautiful images of the important role we have in carrying out God’s work on earth, being signs of God’s merciful love to all we encounter.

The dialogue between Jesus and the woman represents the obstacles that we (the baptized) must overcome in order to draw people to Christ, the Eternal Living Water. They represent the ‘rational obstinacy’ that society will present to us before it finally surrenders to the gospel. However, if we are connected to the Eternal Living Water, we will have a better and more convincing witness without tiring.

Like the Samaritan woman: What are you thirsty for today? What can satisfy and fill the human heart? The woman went to tell her fellow countrymen what had happened. Do we have that same diligence and warmth to make Christ known to the people around us?