The reading is from the Gospel according to St. John Chapter 4:5- 42
Today in the Church’s calendar we honor St. Photini. She is quite a prominent saint in the catalogue of saints because the beginning of her story is told here in the gospel of St. John. She is better known as the Samaritan woman at the well.
We are all quite familiar with this story about Jesus who is left alone as his disciples enter the city to find food. He is now seated at the well and asks a woman who has also come to the well, for a drink of water. Normally such a request would be considered common place but this instance is quite different. You see she is a samaritan woman. She was considered an outsider, a heretic and ultimately a stranger to those who are devout Jews. Therefore it was not normal for any Jew to have conversation with such folk. But as we see throughout the four gospels, Our Lord Jesus Christ is not concerned with outer appearances, or impressing others….he is quite content breaking the mold. Let us take note here that Christ is often breaking the mold of the people’s limited expectations in the name of mercy and love towards others.
The Lord Jesus could have sat contently and said nothing at all. He could’ve said to himself….I have come only for the lost sheep of Israel. He could’ve worried about what others might have thought of him. But the truth of the matter is that God’s cares are not our cares. The fact of the matter was that Our Lord did not see an enemy, but a child of God….who was lost and in need of gentle but direct guidance. Our Lord Jesus is so wonderful precisely because he does not run away from a problem when we probably would. He finds a way to enter into dialogue with a woman who might also want nothing to do with him.
Our Lord grabs her attention by asking for a drink. She then reminds him that Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Then Jesus says something remarkable “If you knew the gift of God and who it is who says to you, ‘give me a drink’, you would have asked Him and he would have given you living water.” Yet Photini’s focus is still on the water in the well, as she replies “sir you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep.” She has missed two very important things: 1) He is not speaking about the physical water. And 2) The well is much deeper than she realizes.
Our Lord answers her “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water shall become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” At this point she is still thinking about her physical thirst. But He will push her to realize that the true thirst is that which is deeper and more powerful, it is a spiritual. He will do this in an unconventional way by our standards, by pointing to her weakness, by pointing out her sins.
Take note, that it is only by pointing to her weakness and sins that he can begin to heal her. She is like each and every one of us. At times we are prideful and quite arrogant when in truth we have not taken a moral inventory of our lives and our situations. We are much more content “shooting” the messenger instead of daring to allow the message to bring us to the light and to change us. But He is the physician and the healer of our souls and as the divine surgeon He desires to cut out the cancer of our sins, to make us whole again. He wants to put light inside her so that she glows with this light of Christ, the light of grace.
This is why the Samaritan women was so special and why she bears the name Photini. Photo is the greek root for the word “light” Like the word photograph. She is the one who was brought to light at the well. She was enlightened by the Light of the world, Our Lord Jesus. This happened when He showed her all of her sins and when she received His correction with humility and repentance. This is the beginning of the way in which God heals us and we enter into His divine life. From that moment forward, she sits as an example of the witness we are to bring as Christians and bearers of light in the world. Her title is equal to the apostles! A title not lightly given to anyone.
She is a light-bearer, not in denial of her sins, not like those who are too arrogant or too “intelligent” to be taught. As we have seen in the case of Photini, the Lord knew all her sins, but her acknowledgment of such faults was the start of what made her become a saint. We are held accountable to the light who is Jesus Christ…..and there is nothing which is hidden from God, who sees everything, even the dark corners of our hearts. Therefore let us be children of the Light and let us walk accordingly in the light of Christ so that we will no longer thirst but will be filled with the cool and refreshing waters of grace and life through the Holy Spirit.
May this become our drink. May this become our life in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. AMEN!
Revised and adapted from original sermon preached on May 25th, 2008
Source: Sermons