When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, ‘Give me a drink.’ His disciples had gone into the town to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘What? You are a Jew and you ask me, a Samaritan, for a drink?’ – Jews, in fact, do not associate with Samaritans. Jesus replied:

‘If you only knew what God is offering and who it is that is saying to you: Give me a drink, you would have been the one to ask, and he would have given you living water.’

Boundaries are important in life.  I can think of a few scenarios and instances: moderate talk and behaviour, and consumption of beverages at work functions, in relationships, work, and health.  Healthy and appropriate boundaries are needed to preserve what is good.  They also help the parties involved.  Without them there can be regrets, burnouts, heartaches, and headaches.

Then there are times boundaries need to be eradicated to create something good.  In his encounter with the Samaritan woman, Jesus breaks down many different boundaries: social, religious, and political.  By their standard, Jews considered Samaritans to be corrupt and inferior.  Samaritans had a history of foreign empires who diluted their cultural identity and religious practices.

In the longer version of the gospel for this Sunday, Jesus persists with the Samaritan woman in their exchange by leading her to a deeper understanding of faith.  This faith is rooted in the identity of Jesus as a gift from God, symbolised in the living water, someone far greater than their ancestor Jacob who gifted the well.  Jesus helped her break free from the prejudices that were ingrained from the culture and environment of her time and place.

The Incarnation is when God breaks into our humanity to become one of us, to show how we may enter and share in the divine life.  The divine life is one lived in community and is shared with others as a reflection of the Trinity.  What are the boundaries holding us back to enter communion with others?

By Fr Hoang Dinh