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Sunday of the Samaritan Woman 2006 “ Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water, which I give, will never thirst again!" John 4:14 In the Lord's time, people had to go to the village well, or to a fountain gushing with fresh water on the mountainside to draw water for their home use. It was a hot afternoon. The Lord Jesus was passing through Samaria, and stopped at Jacob's well to quench His thirst. He paused there, while His Disciples went into the City to purchase some food. Along came a Samaritan woman with a large jug to draw water from the deep well. The Lord asked her kindly to give Him a drink. The woman was astonished, because a member of the Judaeic race was communicating with a Samaritan, since it was sinful for a Jew to even talk to a Samaritan. Therefore she asked: "How come you a Jew, requests a drink of water from a Samaritan woman, since there is no association between Jews and Samaritans? Jesus answered her and said: "If you only knew the Gift of God, and Who it is who asked you for a drink of water, you would ask of Him, to give you living water!" The Samaritan woman said: "Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is very deep. Where can you get this living water?" It is then that Jesus responded: "Every one who drinks this water will be thirsty again. But whoever drinks the water that I give will never thirst. Indeed the water that I give, becomes a well - spring, welling up to eternal life." Naturally the woman said: "Sir, give me this water, so that I do not become thirsty, or have to come and labor to carry the water-jug." The Lord purposely stated this to the Samaritan woman, knowing in His omniscience the fact, that she had repeatedly been married, and futilely indulged in the supposed material pleasures of this life, only to become a very unfulfilled and unhappy person. That's why the Lord, in no uncertain terms was telling her: "No matter what you do, you will thirst again; ----- here then is your opportunity to relieve, -- to quench, as it were -- your spiritual thirst once and for all, by receiving in your heart the many virtues, of a life dedicated to God." How vivid, --- how true, --- how very much in parallel and applicable this dialogue of Jesus with the Samaritan woman, is with the world of today, in the midst of our great century of material progress? We are all drinking abundantly from the many fountains of this world, only to find, that our thirst is unquenchable. If in fact, the great need for water in the midst of a hot desert is a matter of life or death, rest assured, that the soul in reality, has a far more vital need for the water of truth --- of honor, ---of forgiveness --- of peace, --- of tranquility ---of joy, --- and of love. The Samaritan woman came for water from the well, but her life was in far greater need for the life-giving water, which sources from the Grace of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The same applies to our life. No matter what we may do, --- no matter what we choose, thinking that it can satisfy any one of our desires or ambitions, to be sure, we shall thirst again. We drink from the many fountains of this world, thinking that we have at last quenched our thirst, only to discover, that soon after we drank from a certain fountain, we are thirsty once again. We were created by God to achieve a happy state. Unfortunately, when people forget that they have a living soul, they delude themselves by focusing their life only on the material. The thought runs something like, "if I acquire certain objects that are my desire, or attain a certain distinctive position in life, this will stamp everything with the seal of happiness! With the goals that a person sets in life to possibly achieve happiness, he or she often loses himself or herself in the quest for possessions, or position. But, even though, he or she may reach a certain goal, the realization does come, that the measure of happiness, which was envisioned and attained, is not commensurate with the efforts and struggles that were put forth. In fact, they see, that for all this tremendous effort, the happiness achieved, is an almost negligible percentage. No one will doubt that our Nation has achieved both scientifically and technologically. But, even though this scientific, technical and material progress has soared to unbelievable heights, the happiness, that was envisioned with it, has almost been confined to the sphere of sheer fantasy. We read about the great scholars of the world, --- truly reservoirs of learning, yet unhappy and thirsty for more knowledge. We notice the mania of the treasure-seekers of this world, increasing their earthly possessions with the thought, that someday they will be able to really enjoy their life; but in vain, because their thirst can never be quenched. How many people in positions of high authority, of power crave even a much higher authority, only to pass on from this life as victims of their thirst. It's been proven times over, and in published confessions, of people who were idolized in this life, yet were unhappy and unfulfilled, because their life and endeavors were based only on the tangible, --- on the material. Their spiritual counterpart, their soul was totally neglected and famished. Here then, is the great human tragedy. With all the supposed reservoirs of this life, man is suffering much, because of his thirst. And what is the reason for all this suffering? The answer can be given, in that, our aims and progress are all one-sided. In this quest for progress, we have more or less forgotten God and His Commandments. Our material progress has far outstripped our moral progress. Our soul has been neglected, and has been grounded, even though our soul does have the unlimited power to soar us to the heights of Heaven. The need then for all of us, and the whole world today is, to go to the Fountain of Life, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and to drink from the water, which He offers to us, in order that we may never thirst again. Amen +George Papadeas
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