Waterworks.

In July of 1992, on the campus of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, I sat a stone's throw from the sculpture of Jesus and the Samaritan woman located not far from the football stadium. Jesus and the woman were conversing at Jacob's well.

In the heat of day I watched and listened, listened and watched. Although my Bible was not at hand, I attempted to retrieve the outline of the encounter as recorded in the Gospel of John, chapter four.

In paraphrase: Jesus was passing through Sychar, a town of Samaria. Tired from his travel he stopped at Jacob's well for a drink while his disciples went off in search of food. A Samaritan woman approached and, to her great amazement, he, a Jew, asked her, a Samaritan, for a drink. Such things were not done in those days.

An exchange began, the end of which resulted in enlightenment: there was another type of water than that found at this well, water leading to eternal life. As the dialogue continued, the woman realized that Jesus was a prophet (he knew of her five husbands) and more, that he was also the Messiah--the anointed one bringing authentic worship found neither on this Samaritan mountain nor in the temple in Jerusalem.

The disciples now returned and were astounded to find Jesus talking to this Samaritan woman. Off she went to inform the townspeople of this prophet while the disciples were unsuccessful in getting Jesus to indulge in the food they brought. Jesus' appetite was set on a harvest not of this world but of eternal life.

The story ends with the people of Sychar believing in Jesus at first because of the woman's testimony but then later (Jesus stayed with them for two days) because of direct evidence. They themselves heard the words of eternal life spoken by the savior of the world.

All this I now recall thinking back on that afternoon at Notre Dame, the golden dome blazing brilliantly just north of where I sat. Jesus and the woman and the well were mute before me, but somehow they continued to speak. They were telling me something about the Trinity, about discipleship, about evangelization, about stewardship, and about eschatology. I tried to heed what I heard.

Jesus stood alone before the woman at the well, or so it seemed. Yet his Father was there as we can sense in the constant and repeated references to worship, be it on the mountain, in the temple, or in the new covenant Jesus was establishing. Jesus is always pointing to the Father and is about his Father's business. Jesus goes further in describing the manner of worship: in Spirit and in truth. We have in this experience at Jacob's well a triune God--a creative Father who gives life, a redeeming Messiah who reconciles, a Spirit of truth and, yes, of joy.

This same Trinitarian presence can be felt in every major New Testament passage. Ten lepers are cured. They are to go to the priests who represent God, they are healed by the Savior, at least one is infused with the spirit of gratitude and returns to give thanks. The annunciation story also gives us entry into the Trinity: the angel sent from God, the Spirit that overshadows Mary, the child who will become the Messiah within her.

The call to follow Jesus--discipleship--comes in a variety of ways. The disciples, off to town to find some food, heard the call at a tax table, along the seashore, and under a tree. Now, Jesus calls a foreigner at an ancient well. The call to discipleship is characterized by "suddenness"--anytime, anywhere! In calling the Samaritan woman, Jesus begins by asking for help and then enters into serious conversation. Two markings of discipleship are service and prayer. In the conversation the truth leaks out, freedom is restored, the news is spread. I've often wondered, in fact, if the Good Samaritan in Luke 15 and this woman at Jacob's well are one and the same.

One of the traits of discipleship is mutuality. In this incident there is an exchange of life at two levels: physical life as symbolized by water from the well and spiritual life as imaged by well water of another kind that nourishes our soul. The master and the disciple engage in mutual exchange; the vine and the branches symbolize the astounding interdependence in the story of salvation. Does God really "need" us in the building of the kingdom?

A disciple is necessarily an evangelist answering the call to "go out to all the nations." In words, deeds, and lifestyles the disciples proclaim the Good News of God's mercy and love in Jesus Christ. The anonymous Samaritan woman brought fire (water, too) to her village, and the story she told leads people to encounter the source of the fire. This pointing to, this testimony, has great power in drawing people into the circle of conversion. One can feel in the story an excitement, a freshness, an urgency, a new hope. The town of Sychar would never be the same again as this Jewish prophet entered into a covenant with the Samaritans, who previously enjoyed no recognition from their Jewish neighbors.

While visiting Notre Dame I reread Paul VI's apostolic exhortation Evangelii nuntiandi, a document dealing with the evangelization of the modern world. One of the clearest and most powerful documents of the church, this letter sketches out for us our baptismal call to share the Good News of Jesus to all the world. Pope Paul VI stressed that the world needs mentors (teachers) and models (witnesses), and that the latter is more important. Sometimes we find both needs fulfilled in the same person, for example, Mother Teresa of Calcutta. This story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman should awaken again within each of us the urgency of telling the Good News to others.

The well, the metaphor for life and symbol used so often in history, was a gift to be shared. Jesus, tired and in need, asked for a share of this gift. We never do find out whether or not the water was drawn and given, but we do know that Jesus offered a gift to the Samaritan woman, a new water springing into life eternal. A steward is one who exercises responsibility in the appropriate sharing of God's gifts. In this story we watch how two individuals deal with the gifts of life and love. In the end we sense a joyful and holy exchange.

One of the tests of authentic discipleship, and certainly a major expression of the following of Jesus, is stewardship. In the U. S. Catholic bishops' pastoral letter "Stewardship: A Disciple's Response," a case is made that stewardship is not a program of giving a portion of one's time, talent, and treasure, but rather a way of life based on conversion. Once one recognizes God as the source of all life, of all that we have and are, the graced response is to share everything in appropriate ways with those who have less. Did the Samaritan woman from that day forward live a life of generosity and joy as a disciple of Jesus?

Jesus' coming to the well takes place at noon, in a specific village, surrounded by unique circumstances (class tensions, journey, drama). The human condition is explicit but so too is the movement out of time and place into eternity. Human beings need not only physical water and daily sustenance, they also need water and bread that nourishes their souls into eternity. Human beings are not limited to historical life but are called to the eschaton--to the fullness of life beyond the here and now. Our culture, with its strong and almost exclusive sense of immanence, has lost the sense of transcendence, of eschatology. Far from everyday concerns is an awareness of heaven and hell. In fact, for many these terms are medieval concepts long since abandoned. Not so for Jesus who came to proclaim life, life to the fullest with God the Father.

One of the struggles for all of us is to learn how to straddle the here and the now with the beyond. How do we live fully in the present with an appreciation of the past and an eye held out for the future? The celebration of the liturgy is one way, especially the Mass.

We bring to this sacred moment our past with all its joys and sorrows, offering thanks and begging forgiveness. After hearing God's word we intercede for ourselves and our world, for all in need. Then, going to the altar, Christ and the church offer, consecrate, and unite us with the Trinity and with the communion of saints as we sing songs of thanksgiving and receive nourishment to go forth on mission. In the celebration of the Paschal Mystery, we integrate the past, embrace the present, and look forward to future glory. At Jacob's well all these elements of word and sacrament were implicitly there.

One does not have to go to the Holy Land to encounter Jesus. We need but to pick up the scriptures on hot July days or cold December evenings, in moments of great joy or sorrow, when life offers new beginnings or sudden endings, and God speaks to us of divine love and mercy. God can speak to us anywhere, anytime--and God does!