As humans, water is fundamental to our wellbeing and necessary for our survival. In today’s first reading, the people of Israel murmured against God because they were thirsty while they journeyed through the desert. Of course finding water to drink in the desert is very difficult. Hence, they murmured saying “why did you bring us up out of Egypt to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst” but then something miraculously happened, God provided them with water from the rock even though they failed to acknowledge how God has brought them out of slavery and how God had been with them throughout their journey. Regardless of their ingratitude, God still provided water for them to drink.

Dear friends we too sometimes behave like the Israelites. We complain about things we are going through, we complain about the achievements we are yet to accomplish forgetting the many good things God has done for us. Forgetting how God has brought us far and showed us mercy. Unlike the people of Israel let us give thanks to God more than investing our time and energy on complaints.

We see in the gospel the encounter between Jesus and the woman of Samaria. Jesus met this woman at the well and requested from her, water to drink. Here, Jesus goes against the custom of His day because the Jews and Samaritans were rivals. In fact they had nothing in common. This is why the woman responded to Jesus’ request by saying “How is it that you, a Jew ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria”. With this, Jesus breaks the cultural barrier in order to bring salvation to the Samaritans. We as Christians too must be willing to break barriers of envy, jealousy, tribalism and hatred in order to sow the seed of the word of God wherever we find ourselves. We cannot preach the gospel when we arbor hatred in our heart. We cannot preach the gospel when we discriminate against each other. Like Jesus broke the cultural and religious barrier, we too must removed anything that can hinder us from planting the gospel in the hearts of people around us.

More so, Jesus was interested in giving the woman the living water. Jesus says “everyone who drinks of this water that I shall give will never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life”. We see a shift from the literal conversation of water to the spiritual sense of Jesus giving a living water. Even though the woman is yet to fully comprehend what Jesus was saying, Jesus’ use of the “living water” symbolizes the Holy Spirit. Jesus wants the woman’s faith to be deepened through the Holy Spirit. Through this reality, we as Christians necessarily need the Holy Spirit to inspire and keep our faith burning. Through the Holy Spirit, we become at peace with God and empowered to establish the kingdom of God. Let us ask ourselves today, do we allow the Holy Spirit to transform us? Do we submit to the promptings of the Holy Spirit? Like Jesus offered the woman of Samaria the living water, so also he offers us today the living water: the Holy Spirit. We are therefore challenged to be docile to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

Furthermore, we see something unique in the conversation of Jesus and the woman of Samaria. Jesus gradually transforms her into an instrument of evangelization. First, He had a personal encounter with the woman: an encounter which opened and deepened the woman’s faith. Thereafter, she left Jesus to inform members of her community about Jesus. She says “come and see the man who told me everything I have done, could this be the messiah”.  With this, She became a witness to Jesus based on her personal conviction in Him.

Her testimony, led others to encounter Jesus. In fact, they invited him to stay with them, Jesus however stayed with them for two days and while he was with them, the people came to the realization of their own faith and they attested not on the testimony of the woman again but based on their personal experience with Jesus. They said “we no longer believe because of your word; for we have heard for ourselves and we know that this is truly the savior of the world.”

Dear friends, like the woman, Jesus want us to first have a personal relationship and conviction in him, then through our testimony, others will come to encounter him. As it is often said we cannot give what we do not have. If our faith is not strong, if we are not convinced about our faith in God how then can we preach Jesus to those around us?

Today dear friends, let us ask ourselves how grounded is our personal relationship with God? How solid is our faith in Him? Like the woman, Jesus wants to make use of us as his instrument to evangelize. How docile are we to Him.

May God help us to do His will on earth through Christ our Lord. Amen.