|
Pope Benedict XVI- Angelus |
On
The Samaritan Woman
"God Thirsts for Our Faith and Our Love"
H.H. Benedict XVI
February 24, 2008
www.zenit.org
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
On this Third Sunday of Lent the liturgy this year proposes one of
the most beautiful and profound texts of the Bible: the dialogue
between Jesus and the Samaritan woman (cf. John 4:5-42). St.
Augustine, about whom I am saying a great deal in the Wednesday
catecheses, was rightly fascinated by this story, and he gave a
memorable commentary on it. It is impossible for a brief explanation
of this passage of the Gospel to bring out its richness: It is
necessary to read and meditate on it personally, identifying oneself
with that woman, who, one day, like many others, went to draw water
from the well, and found Jesus there, seated by it, "tired from the
trip," in the noonday heat.
"Give me to drink," he said to her, surprising her: It was, in fact,
entirely unusual for a Jew to speak to a Samaritan woman, especially
a woman who was a stranger. But the woman's wonder was destined to
grow: Jesus spoke of a "living water" able to quench thirst
completely and become "a spring of water welling up to eternal life"
in her; furthermore, he showed her that he knew about her personal
life; he revealed that the hour had come to worship the one true God
in spirit and in truth; and in the end he confided to her --
something incredibly rare -- that he was the Messiah.
All of this happened, beginning from the real and sensible
experience of thirst. The theme of thirst runs through the whole of
John's Gospel: from the meeting with the Samaritan woman, to the
great prophecy during the feast of the Tabernacles (John 7:37-38),
to the cross, when Jesus before he dies says, to fulfill Scripture:
"I thirst" (John 19:28).
The thirst of Christ is an entranceway into the mystery of God, who
made himself thirsty to refresh us, as he made himself poor to
enrich us (cf. 2 Corinthians 8:9). Yes, God thirsts for our faith
and our love. Like a good and merciful father he desires for us all
possible good and this good is God himself. For her part the
Samaritan woman represents the existential unhappiness of those who
have not found what they are looking for: She had "five husbands"
and is now living with a man; her coming and going to the well
represents a repetitive and resigned life.
But everything changes for her that day, on account of her
conversation with the Lord Jesus, who shakes her up so much that she
leaves the water jar and runs to tell the people of the village:
"Come and see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the
Christ" (John 4:28-29)?
Dear brothers and sisters, let us too open our hearts to the
confident hearing of the word of God to meet, like the Samaritan
woman, Jesus, who reveals his love to us and says to us: The
Messiah, your Savior, "It is I, who speak to you" (John 4:26). May
Mary, first and perfect disciple of Christ, obtain this gift for us.
[After the Angelus, the Pope said the following in Italian:]
Recent floods have devastated large areas of the coast of Ecuador,
causing very grave damage, which adds to the damage caused by the
eruption of Tungurahua. As I entrust the victims of this calamity to
the Lord, I express my personal nearness to those who are
experiencing times of anxiety and tribulation and I invite all to a
fraternal solidarity, so that the people of these areas can return
as soon as possible to the normalcy of daily life.
Next Saturday, March 1, at 5 p.m., in the Paul VI Hall, I will
preside at the Marian vigil of the university students of Rome.
Students of other European and American countries will participate
in it by radio and television links. We will invoke the intercession
of Mary Seat of Wisdom for Christian hope to support the building of
a civilization of love on these two continents and in the whole
world. My dear university student friends, I expect to see many of
you!
[Translation by Joseph G. Trabbic]
[The Holy Father said in English:]
I would like to extend a cordial invitation to Catholics throughout
the world to support, by their prayers and their presence, the 49th
International Eucharistic Congress to be celebrated in Quebec City
from 15-22 June 2008.
I welcome all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present at
today’s Angelus. As we continue our Lenten journey may our resolve
to follow closely the path of Jesus be strengthened through prayer,
forgiveness, fasting and assistance to those in need. I trust your
visit to Rome will increase your understanding of the faith and
deepen your love of the universal Church. Upon all of you and your
dear ones, I gladly invoke the strength and peace of Christ the
Lord.
© Copyright 2008 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana
This page is the work of the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and
Mary
