The Desert Fathers sometimes spoke of the “noonday devil.” From experience, the monks living in the desert discovered that the morning often began well. Prayer was fruitful, and the first hours of work passed peacefully. But around noon, something would change. They grew restless. The sun beat down on their dwellings and on their heads. They were halfway through the day, and fatigue set
in.
Mixed with this physical weariness came a deeper desolation. Doubts would begin to arise about their vocation in the desert and about their long hours of prayer and work. The “noonday devil” would appear, almost mocking their efforts to live faithfully.
In the Gospel, the woman at the well meets Jesus at noon. We are told that Jesus himself is tired from the journey.
Perhaps she, too, is weary. Perhaps she is lonely, separated from the other women who usually come to draw water in the cool of the morning.
Jesus meets her in that place of weariness and isolation. He offers her more than a brief respite from the heat of the day. He offers her true life and deep rest.
As we come slowly to the midway point of Lent, we might pause to ask how
the journey is going.
Have we begun to feel some of the season's fatigue?
Do we remember that there is rest and nourishment in Jesus?
Can we trust that he meets us in our struggles and lifts us up?
