In less than two weeks we will
celebrate our son’s first birthday. I can look back on the past year and see
how much his personality has grown and developed. I love all the different
stages of his growth we have experienced in this past year. It wasn’t that I
loved him any less before he could roll, crawl, communicate, and laugh. Rather,
with each new skill I got to journey alongside him as he became more aware of
his own talents and abilities. His learning and exploring became opportunities
for me to encourage and support him.
In today’s Gospel, the Samaritan woman at
the well enjoys a unique encounter with Jesus in the midst of her daily
activity. As Jesus challenges her to pause and reflect on her life, she is able
to notice how she has been deceiving herself all these years. Jesus is not
simply calling her out on her failed relationships and sinfulness in order to
fill her with guilt. By revealing to her how he sees and loves her, Jesus frees
her from shame. Jesus shows her that his love for her is more than the sum
total of her sins. The more we allow ourselves to be seen by God, the more we
free ourselves to encounter radical, total love.
This Lent, have I been able to
create sacred space, like the well, to simply be with Jesus and allow him to
look at me? What happens when I imagine sitting with Jesus in an intimate
setting, sharing about my own life? What habits or attitudes create the space
for me to experience genuine encounters with other people and with God?
Reflected by Jen Coito
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