Catholic Nursing in the Light of Tradition
The Story
Early in Jesus' public life, still in its first year and before the Apostles were all with Him, Jesus passed through Samaria with some disciples. He was on His way to Judea to His "home base" in Galilee. The reason for this journey was to avoid the Pharisees, whose suspicions were aroused by the fact that His disciples were baptizing and attracting many followers. At about noon one day, He arrived wearily at a well in a town called Sichar. There He found a woman whom He asked for some water. Since the disciples had gone off to buy something to eat, Jesus was alone with the woman. She expressed surpise that a Jew - for apparently she could tell He was a Jew - would dare to speak to her, a Samaritan woman. Aside from the fact that private conversations between unwed men and women were not considered proper at that time and in that place, there was the addditional fact that Samaritans and Jews rather despised each other.
Then Our Lord tells the woman that, if she knew who He was, she would ask Him for living water, and He would give it to her. When she noted that He had nothing for taking water from the very deep well, He simply affirmed the excellence of His water and how those who drink it never thirst again. She expressed an interest, for such a thing would save her the drudgery of Coming to the well to draw. Thus sold on the endless water supply, she asked Him for it, not yet realizing that the "living water" was a metaphor for something supernatural: divine grace. Before agreeing to give her the water, Jesus told her to get her husband, ostensibly so that He might give it to both of them. The woman, who was an adultress, confessed that she had no husband. At this admission, Jesus told her that she had had five husbands and was then living with a man who was not even her husband. Stunned at the stranger's knowledge of her shameful life, she took Him to be a prophet and proceeded to probe Him for His thoughts on the religious issue which most divided the Jews and the Samaritans: whether to worship in the Jewish temple on Mount Moriah or the rival Samaritan one on Mount Garizim.
In reponse, Jesus addressed not only the issue of which was the true Faith - the Jewish or Samaritan - but showed how the entire ancient alliance was to be superseded. In so doing, He revealed Himself openly: "Jesus said to her: Woman, believe me, that the hour cometh, when you shall neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, adore the Father. You adore that which you know not: we adore that which we know; for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true adorers shall adore the Father in spirit and in truth. The woman saith to him: I know that the Messias cometh (who is called Christ); therefore, when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith to her: I am He, who am speaking with thee." (Jn. 4, 21-26)
At that moment the disciples arrived with the food. The woman, left her waterpot behind and went to tell the towns people about Jesus. Surprised somewhat at their Master for speaking to such a woman, the disciples dared not question Him, but instead invited Him to eat. To this request He replied with a lesson on doing the will of God. He then taught them that the harvest of souls - which is the will of God - was about to begin,at which point a crowd of Samaritans arrived on the scene. They begged Him to stay with them, which He did, preaching to them for two days. So great was the success of the mission, that the townspeople said to the woman: "We now believe, not for thy saying: for we ourselves have heard Him, and know that this is indeed the Saviour of the world."
Brother Andre Marie
catholicism.org