Lord, open my eyes that I may see

		Living the Scriptures  with St. Paul University  Catholic Center  Steph Place

The story of the Samaritan woman at the well . . . we've all heard it time and again, so often that we sometimes fail to listen to it with fresh ears.

That's what fascinates me so much about this week's Gospel. All too often, it becomes just another reading of the same old story and I miss out on whatever God might have been trying to show me.

I think the Samaritan woman could sympathize. The woman at the well didn't ask Jesus for a drink right away. Instead she wondered at what must have seemed like a strange man with an even stranger request.

Third Sunday of Lent (Feb. 27, 2005) Ex 17:3-7 Ps 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9 Rom 5:1-2, 5-8 Jn 4:5-42 or 4:5-15, 19b-26, 39a, 40-42

Why? Because she didn't recognize Him.

Jesus showed up in the middle of just another day, to just another woman, in just another little town, without a trumpet fanfare, golden beams of light, without legions of followers. He didn't even use lofty speech or dress in rich robes. Jesus just sat at the village well and asked for a drink.

Who is it in your life that you see every day in the course of the same old routine without ever really seeing? When was the last time you looked at the guy behind the cash register at the gas station and realized that you were looking at a child of the Most High?

We can't expect our experiences of Christ today to come wrapped up in a king's garb, either. Jesus is waiting to teach, to help, and to love us, but we have to be willing to find Him as He was that day at the well. Alone, dirty, tired after a long journey, hungry, and thirsty.

Over the course of her conversation, the Samaritan woman came to understand Jesus' identity. He sat and spoke with her, answered her questions, and tossed out pearls of prophesy and wisdom until she finally recognized Him as the Messiah.

We don't usually have that luxury while sitting around munching sandwiches during our noon breaks. People aren't going to walk up and remind you to look for Christ in those around you, or at least that's never happened to me. We must keep that knowledge in our hearts and look at those around us through lenses tinted with that truth.

	Reflection questions • What part of your day do you coast through on autopilot? • What is it about someone you hardly notice that makes Christ notice and love that person? • When have you failed to notice Jesus asking for a drink?

Look around you right now. Are you reading the paper, just as you do everyday?

Look around again with fresh eyes and the knowledge that this might be your village well. If you look closely enough, you might recognize Jesus, the gift of God, waiting there to offer you a drink.

Steph Place is a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin majoring in medical sciences. She leads a Bible study group at St. Paul University Catholic Center.

St. Paul's Web site is www.stpaulscc.org

Faith Alive!

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