Come to the Well...

"If you knew the gift of God who is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." The woman said to him, "Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep; where then can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself with his children and his flocks?" Jesus answered and said to her "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:10-14

How many times, like the Samaritan woman are we going to the well? How many times out of shame have we avoided the company of our peers and convinced ourselves that we are nothing more than the sum of our past sins? And yet, it was this woman, this isolated and lonely woman, whom Christ chose to receive this precious gift of the words of life.

She was a Samaritan, an outcast in the land she lived in. She was a harlot, having five husbands and living with someone who is not her husband. She was gathering water at noon, knowing that because of the heat many of the other townswoman would not be there to gather water. She would be alone. 

Yet, Christ comes and offers her of all people the water of eternal life.

Come to the well... This woman was chosen as the patroness of our group of particular women. We are varied as some are converts, some are not. Some of us ladies have come from abusive backgrounds and some of us struggle with our own image, continually having to remind ourselves that we are beautiful young women because we are Christs. Some of us are married. Some of us, single. Some of us have children, some of us do not.

We are teachers, healthcare workers, professional women, students...

But we are all... women of labor. Women of love. Women of Christ.

Like the women at the well, we have answered the call to share the good news and take part in the new evangelization.

The woman left her water jar and went into the town and said to the people, "Come see a man who told me everything I have done. Could he possibly be the Messiah?" They went out of town and came to him. John 4:28-30

I repeat!! Come!! See Him who has seen everything I have done and still offered me the cup of eternal life!! Could he possibly be the Messiah??!!

- Joan Crookston