In ancient times, access to a reliable well was essential. Without a steady supply of clean water, life would be difficult, if not impossible. In this week’s Gospel, we see Jesus sitting by a well in the country of Samaria. It’s noon, and we can assume that he is hot and tired. We know he is thirsty, because he asks a woman who is there drawing water to give him a drink.
Up Next in Opening the Word
-
7th Sunday in Ordinary Time—February ...
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus lays out many of his basic life teachings. Several of them are extraordinarily difficult for us to understand, much less put into practice. Two of these are the famous "turn the other cheek" and "love your enemy" admonitions. To understand what Jesus is saying an...
-
1st Sunday of Lent—February 18, 2018
In her wisdom, the Church gives us this reading at the beginning of Lent because Jesus is giving us an example of what the season of Lent is meant to be for us. Lent is a time to remember the reality of our life on earth. In the way that Lent prepares us for Easter, our life on earth is meant to ...
-
8th Sunday in Ordinary Time—February ...
It's fitting that this Gospel begins with the admonition reminding us that we cannot serve two masters (God and money) and then delves into Jesus's teaching on worry, because money is often at the top of our worry list. We worry about how to get money if we don't have enough, and we worry about h...
58 Comments