Today At The Well

Our first reading from Exodus begins with: “In those days, in their thirst for water, the people grumbled against Moses, saying, 'Why did you ever make us leave Egypt? Was it just to have us die here of thirst with our children and our livestock?” 

In our day and here on Cape Cod we never have to worry about thirsting for water and dying from thirst, but many people do, especially in the Middle East – in areas where deserts dominate the landscapes.  Villages were built around wells – the source of life.  

Water comprises about 60% of our bodies.  It truly is life-giving. Water regulates body temperature, flushes body waste, lubricates joints, and allows our cells to grow, reproduce, and survive – just to name a few important functions.  So, in a very real sense, our bodies are “wells” of water.  And that means we should quench the thirst of others – their thirsts for love, compassion, forgiveness, and understanding.  

Those people – family, friends, and neighbors – need our life-giving water we might simply call “kindness.”  We are the “wells” to which they may go.  Or better yet, we can carry our water to them.

We also believe Jesus provides that life-giving water when we follow him by doing what he says to the Samaritan woman at the well with words such as “Worship the Father in Spirit and truth,”  Jesus was focused on the Father made clear to us by his prayer we recite at every Mass: “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.  Thy Kingdom come, they will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.…” 

Before pipes were laid in the ground with water flowing freely to our Cape Cod homes, there were many wells.  Some of us still sink wells on our property to quench our thirst and wash our bodies.  These wells are pipes driven deep into the earth to the water table, so they are invisible.  

Most of us, however, are not familiar with the wide and deep holes called wells into which buckets were and are still lowered in many places.  I’m certainly familiar.  When I was a young boy, I used to visit my grandparent’s farm where they had a well. I always thought I’d fall in and drown.  Looking into the hole, sometimes I’d see my reflection, but most of time just darkness and spiders.  

As with the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus meets us at the wells of our lives, places where we go to quench our thirsts such as here in this Church, or perhaps in family settings where we thirst and search for love and forgiveness – that kindness.  Instead of looking down into these wells and finding darkness, we see the light of Christ and our reflections – and what we hope are reflected, Christ-like images – that what we wish to be true.

This brings us to another kind of well – the wishing well.  We all wish for things, more money.  Perhaps happiness, love, and understanding are at the top of our wish-list. 

There’s a famous Disney character who, looking into a wishing well with doves all around it, makes the following wish through a song.  See if you can guess the singer at the well.  She sings a song called, “I’m Wishing,” but before she sings, she says:  “Make a wish into the well. That's all you have to do, and if you hear it echoing, your wish will soon come true.”  Then the lyrics go: “I'm wishing (I'm wishing) for the one I love.  To find me (to find me) today.  I'm hoping (I'm hoping), and I'm dreaming of the nice things (the nice things) he'll say (he'll say).  I'm wishing (I'm wishing) for the one I love.  To find me (to find me) today.” She hears a response from behind her: “Today!”

Of course, this is Snow White with the Prince suddenly appearing and making her wish come true by loudly singing  “Today!”

In our case, there’s a King at the well, and his name is Jesus – Christ our King.  He also says, “Today. Today is the day for you to drink my living water and never be thirsty again.  Today is the day you must realize you are truly loved by God who shows no favorites.  Today is the day to end your rivalries:  Jew versus Samaritan, Christian versus Muslim, sibling versus sibling, us versus them – whoever they may be.  Today is the day to reconcile and to deal with and shake off your troubles Then move on."

With that said, I end with this story.  One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well.  The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do.  Finally he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn’t worthwhile to retrieve the donkey.  He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well.

At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone’s amazement, he quieted down.  A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well, and was astonished at what he saw. With every shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey would shake it off and take a step up.

As the farmer’s neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the donkey, he would shake it off and take a step up.  Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off!

Moral of the story:  Life is going to shovel all kinds of dirt on us. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a stepping stone.  We can get out of our deepest wells just by not stopping and never giving up!  We just need to shake it off and take a step up!  We need to have trust and faith in God.

On this third Sunday of Lent, Jesus meets us all here at the well where we drink deeply.  He offers his hand; tells us to step up, and encourages us to make our own dreams and wishes come true.  Jesus shouts at us, “Today!” (Today)

Deacon David Pierce