“Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

The Gift of Life-giving Water—a well-spring bubbling up with eternal life—is a beautiful and recurring theme during this Paschal Season.  Our Risen Lord continuously reminds us of the need to participate in His Water to inherit eternal life.  Jesus calls us to Him through the Life-giving font of Baptism so that we might continue to live in Him eternally. 

The Church reinforces this theme of water during Paschatide in the Gospel readings each Sunday.  Last week, we heard about the paralytic at the Pool of Bethesda—who couldn’t enter into the waters by himself, but needed Christ’s healing.  This week, the Samaritan woman is confronted by Christ at Jacob’s Well.  Next week, we will hear about the washing at the Pool of Siloam.  Let us take a moment to examine just what is necessary to partake of Christ’s Life-Giving Spring. 

When we meet the Risen Lord at the pool of Bethesda, we learn that we must first desire to be healed by Christ.  That desire is confronted by a healing that is life-changing and foundation shaking—changing how we encounter the world.   When we meet the Risen Lord at Jacob’s Well, we are confronted, in the person of the Samaritan Woman, by our sinfulness.  Christ gently confronts her sinfulness by asking about her husband—just as He gently confronts our sinfulness by asking about how we are living our lives during Holy Confession/Repentance.  She responds by confessing her sins—and repenting of them.  It is only through turning from our sinfulness through Holy Repentance that we can ever hope to embody Christ’s Life-Giving Spring! 

This embodiment of the Well-Spring of Eternal life is a relationship with Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  We are called to Him through repentance and Baptism so that we might partake of Him and never be hungry or thirsty again!  As our Lord reminds us, we have only to put on Christ through Holy Baptism, and relate to Him through the Holy Eucharist to participate in His Resurrection.  “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:54). 

When our first priority is a relationship with the Resurrected Lord, nothing else can take His place in our lives.  He becomes our reason for being—our reason for living.  Loving Him becomes both life-affirming and life-changing.  We are being changed by His Love, and freely give that love to all we encounter.  This loving relationship is reinforced every time we partake of Him through Holy Communion. 

His Holy Eucharist is our source of Joy, Hope and Love.  By continuously partaking of Him, we continuously must prepare ourselves for Him.  No longer do we choose grudges—for love is not anger in our hearts when we come to Christ.  No longer do we choose to hold onto sinful habits—for we are embraced by a life of Love in the Risen Lord.  No longer do we choose the weakness of sin and death—for our Lord is there to strengthen us!

May the love of the Risen Lord become a well-spring in all of our hearts, minds and souls, enabling us to live a Life in Him, glorifying His Saving Resurrection on the third day!

By: Fr. Chris Rocknage