3.fasting Sunday A Joh 4, 5-42

Introduction

There are about one billion Christians in the world who recognize Christ as their Lord and Savior. Imagine what the world would be like if all these people lived according to the gospel, kept the commandments of God and loved their neighbors as themselves. Certainly different than today. Nietsche said: There was only one Christian in the world – Christ!

Predikation

Protect God from reaching out to someone who also observes us… In the Gospels, we encounter two categories of believers. Some of them go massively and traditionally to Jesus, but they are able to leave him happily, while others only needed a chance encounter with him to be completely captured and captivated. Their sayings speak for themselves: Lord, help my unbelief… Lord, I am not good… Lord, depart from me because I am a sinful man… Lord, to whom we go, you have the words of eternal life… My Lord and my God… It was really Son of God…

In today’s Gospel, we are faced with such enthusiasm twice. Jesus began to talk to a woman, a typical little girl who had already lived with six men. At the well they began to talk about a topic of utmost importance in Palestine – water. Jesus offers the woman living water that will guarantee her eternal life. At first she thought she was mocking her because every drop of water was expensive for her. Day by day she was far from the well to pick her up, and she had to tie the rope to the bucket and then pull it out of the heavy, already filled. Therefore she replied jokingly, Lord, give me water so that I will no longer be thirsty and do not have to come here to draw! For her ironic remark, Jesus waited because she gave him the opportunity to know him as a prophet who told her right about her immoral life.

Then came to the final scene, when the woman left a pitcher of water at the well and quickly ran into the city, where she publicly confesses to everything she did in her life. What inner shock she had to experience when she confessed to her shame! From this the inhabitants suspected that something extraordinary had to happen, and so they too ran to the well, and there, fascinated by Jesus’ appearance, begged him to stay with them. Finally, their beautiful confession of Christ followed: We already believe not only for the woman’s word, but we have heard and know that this is indeed the Savior of the world. The Savior of the World – an expression we have known since childhood and know that the Savior of the World knows everything about us, knows the most hidden folds of our heart, our guilt, sins, falls …

And yet he appreciates us so much that he underwent death for us and is always willing to forgive everyone’s guilt and sin. He is the Savior of today’s world too, who has become human so that we can become God’s children and sober from all sinful self-deceptions. However, we have to say with pain that self-proclaimed savers and rescuers are hiding behind Christ, who, as some competitors of Christ, mockingly ask where the world is salvaged, when millions of people have been innocently killed in the recent past, flowing streams of tears and blood. They are convinced that Jesus is neutral to evil and therefore cannot be the Savior of the world. Let us therefore use this Sunday to reflect on my relationship with Christ, the Savior of the world. Do I serve him only? Or am I also looking for self-proclaimed savers, according to my preference?

Father Tardif in his book Jesus is the Messiah, gives many testimonies of the miraculous work of Jesus today. In one of them he writes: I was very impressed by the healing of a 45-year-old Mohammedan. She was paralyzed on her right side. Her girlfriend invited her to the Mass for the sick, saying: Today many sick will heal, come with us. This Mohammedan came and the Lord healed her during prayer for the sick. After the final prayer she gave the following testimony to the thousands present: Open your hearts to Jesus! Jesus is alive! I’m a witness! I had a paralyzed right side. I went to many hospitals and didn’t cure me, but my girlfriend brought me to holy mass for healing. I am a Mohammedan, but I came and Jesus healed me. My name is Zanabo. But from now on I will be called Catherine because I want to be Christian.

This is Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world! And as the apostle Peter says, I truly know that God does not hold back anyone, but in every nation he is dear to him who is afraid of him and acts righteously. A Samaritan woman, when she knew who she was before, confessed her faith. By her example, let us also confess it and know that Jesus is our Savior. He also offers us a source of living water – his grace and help and gives us everything we need on the way to the eternal kingdom. Let’s stick to it and make it clear to our lives next week.