Jesus tells the Samaritan woman that the water he will give her will “well up to eternal life.” The image this evokes is that of a spring bursting from the ground—overflowing, cool and clear.
This image is very different from that of water in a well. The water in a well is still. It waits for someone to lower a bucket and draw it up. To benefit from it, we must travel
to the well and make the effort to bring the water to the surface.
The life Jesus offers is different. It is vital, moving, and full of energy. When we encounter the Lord in a life-changing way, it is no longer simply a matter of constantly searching for life or straining to draw it up for ourselves. The life of Christ begins to rise within us. The Spirit becomes like a spring flowing in the depths of our hearts.
Prayer can help us to notice
this life. We are often tempted to think of prayer as effort—as something we must do to obtain something from God. Yet prayer may be simpler than we imagine. It can be a gentle slowing down, a quiet attentiveness to the life of the Spirit already stirring within us.
Lent is a privileged time to practice this kind of prayer. Today, we might ask ourselves:
Do I trust the gentle movements of the Spirit in my heart?
Will I allow the life that Jesus offers to take root within me?
What might help me to welcome that life more fully today?
