The Gift of Self

Our Journey of Faith

 

In the story about the woman at the well John tells us that Jesus had to pass through Samaria, and although other routes might have been preferred, there is nothing accidental about Jesus' arrival at Jacob's Well. He went because he was on a mission: He intended to meet a rough and unremarkable woman who would be coming to the well at precisely that moment. Although she didn’t know it, she had a divine appointment with the Son of God.

 

Through this journey to Samaria Jesus was extending his mission to everyone. The woman who came to the well was suffering the heat of the day, and Jesus himself was weary from the journey. From this I learned an important principle of evangelism: Reaching people for Christ is not always comfortable and may at times be difficult: Comfort is not the issue. Jesus’ plan included this woman so he went to where she was, and we too must go to where the people are if we want to reach them.

 

Her story of conversion reflects, in some ways, the starts and stops of my own journey of faith and it is a story of inclusion marked by astounding, even shocking, new relationships. It also reinforces my understanding about God’s sovereign grace; the fact that He found her, she did not find him. The same is true for all of us; none of us came to Christ until He first came to us. Jesus' call to give and “to be gift” is woven into the fabric of this story in splendid contrast to the woman's tattered life.

 

The Image of God as Gift

 

I find something exceptionally promising about this encounter which results in an exchange of gifts. Jesus has come to this person, and comes to each of us daily, to exchange a gift that ever draws, ever surprises, ever satisfies, ever elicits, and ever expands to encompass and interpret our understanding of being gift. Between the giver and the receiver a relationship is established. Every gift needs a giver: A gift is an expression of an exchange deeper than the material symbol. Every gift needs a receiver: A gift is not a unilateral event, it is unconditional and it is interpersonal.

 

This interpersonal nature belongs to gift-giving because at its basic level gift-giving is an expression of love. There is a totality about it: The unconditional-interpersonal gift is totally and forever given. It is an outpouring, an overabundance of something that the giver cannot take back. In their conversation Jesus showed this woman how she could respond by returning as gift to him, and she in turn can teach us to respond as gift.

 

The Human Person as Gift

 

He asked the woman not only to give but to receive, to ask for his gift and in turn be a gift to others. I think this is the fundamental contribution which the Church expects from all of us, and that it might be an indispensable prerequisite for an authentic relationship with our God and with humanity. We are called to share our gifts with others.

 

I haven’t always thought of myself as a gift received or a gift given. Original sin marks each of us with a tendency to resist being gift; the original protest seems to be, "I will not serve! I will not be gift!" My cultural instinct to be radically self-determined and free tries to separate me from the truth of my existence as gift, being made for and determined by another.

 

The failure to grasp each other as gift gives rise to the inevitable sense of emptiness so well attested to in our society. Unlike the promises of our culture, I’ve learned that true happiness is grounded in the communion of persons. Selfishness can never deliver true satisfaction because without Truth satisfaction is not guaranteed!

 

Our Encounter with Jesus

 

My new life began when I finally recognized the identity of the man at the well. All I needed for healing was a space, unbearably hot as it might have been where I could allow myself to acknowledge who I was and in that moment be graced by a Savior who did not turn away from my shame and failure; but instead flooded my failed life with Living Water.

 

That’s how a large portion of a town in Samaria came to believe: That’s how a large portion of the Roman Empire came to believe: And that’s how I came to believe. As Christians we simply need to listen to our neighbors and co-workers with respect and love, ask questions, and share the gift of how Jesus has met our needs.

 

I live in a world not fully transformed. A world where artificial boundaries exist between people, based on inequality, unjust treatment, and religious intolerance. The story of the woman at the well invites us to scrutinize our personal faith, our parishes, our Church, and our world, to expose the harmful structures that isolate others and cause them to thirst for acceptance and new life.

 

God’s equal access provision is that the Good News is meant for everyone. Salvation is not about going to the right mountain, it’s about going to Jesus. This person didn’t attend classes or read books but instead was transformed during a conversation with the Son of God, and she couldn’t stop talking about it. In reflecting on this story I’ve learned that one person with inadequate knowledge and just a mustard seed of faith can bring a whole town to Jesus. That is the consequence of evangelism powered by the gift of self.

 

Give Me to Drink

 

Jesus' request at the well and his poverty of means in obtaining his own drink of water conveys even His dependence on the spirit of our receptivity. Reception is necessary for the gift which God makes to each of us, because without our gift of reception even the divine gift of self fails: The gift requires a receiver. Jesus' gift to me depended on my receiving him in a way that gave birth to the fullness of faith.

 

Jesus recognizes a likeness in the image of himself in this woman and in me, as the Father's Word, the One who receives as a gift everything from the Father, and in return offers Living Water to all who are willing to give Him the gift of self. I too am called to the receptive dimension of God's gift, and to offer myself as a gift to others through witness and service.

 

During the encounter at Jacob’s Well Jesus said, "If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, give me to drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." John Paul II also spoke eloquently of the human person as gift promoting an evangelical key for understanding the gift of self. The Samaritan woman, healed and transformed by the gift of God, proclaimed what the angels before her heralded, Come see! Our Messiah is given to us! I am also called to be a gift to those I meet, following His example and her witness, by proclaiming my God given gifts in service to others.

 

 

***** Assignment *****

 

In this assignment I was supposed to develop a three to three and one half page paper (double spaced) based on a character from the Gospel of John. It should include insights about the character,and explain how this character has affected my understanding of the Johannine community. We were told to "stay on topic" and "keep it personal", by describinb how this character is or is not like me, what I've learned from this character, and how I will apply what I've learned to my ministry.

 

***** Evaluation *****

 

This paper was submitted on time, and will eventually be returned with comments and suggestions for improvement. I am sure her comments will be worth passing on and I will add them here once I get the paper back.