Exodus 17:3-7/ Roman 5:1-2, 5-8/ John 4:5-42
Well, that is a long gospel, and I am sure you are tired from standing, and I am also trying to catch my breath.
Normally I won’t say such mundane and trivial things as I begin a homily. Normally.
But when there are changes, then the behaviour also changes.
And when these changes create a need, then our behaviour also changes to satisfy the need.
Maybe one example could be how we use the restroom (or what we commonly call the toilet)
We won’t go to the toilet if there is no need, right?
But when there is a need, and if it’s an urgent need, then our behaviour somehow becomes a little altered, our behaviour changes.
What won’t normally bother us, somehow becomes an issue for us, in that time of need.
For e.g. the smell will bother us, the floor is wet, and if we have to do some serious potty business, then the toilet paper, whether have or don’t have, whether smooth enough or not, the toilet seat is clean or not, all these will become major issues.
Talking about toilet seats, women are often irritated when men don’t put down the toilet seats after they are done with their “local calls” as different from “trunk calls”.
What’s even worse is that the men don’t even lift up the toilet seats when they are doing their local calls.
This really irritates the women, for obvious reasons.
But do you know what it takes to get men to lift the toilet seat before they start and to put the seat down after they are done?
Nothing less than a sex-change operation. Then the men will get it. (but by which time they are not exactly men anymore)
So in a time of need, what normally doesn’t bother us or what we don’t normally care much about, somehow becomes an issue and a cause of complaint for us.
All because there is a need, and with that need, our behaviour changes.
In the gospel, we saw how a need changes the behaviour of a person.
And of all people, that person was Jesus. He had a need. He was tired and He was thirsty.
There was the well, but He can’t get the water.
So when a Samaritan woman came along with a bucket, He threw aside all restrictions and barriers and asked her for a drink.
That was why the Samaritan woman was surprised, maybe even shocked, and her first word was “What!”, and even the gospel took the trouble to explain what was the problem.
Jesus had a need – He was thirsty – so He couldn’t be bothered about restrictions and barriers.
But the Samaritan woman also had a need. And it was shown implicitly in her behaviour.
She came to the well at the 6th hour – meaning at noon – the hottest time of the day.
It’s an awkward time to draw water because everyone would want to be at home under shelter. But that tells us that the Samaritan woman wanted to avoid people.
But as she talked with Jesus, her other needs became obvious. She was also thirsty.
She was thirsting for dignity and self-worth, so that she won’t have to keep avoiding people and drawing water in the noon-day sun.
She was thirsting for love and relationship. Well, she had had five husbands, and still counting.
So when people thirst, their behaviour changes, and can even change drastically, especially in the hot and dry desert, as we heard in the 1st reading.
Tormented by thirst, the Israelites didn’t care about who God is and their words were as scorching as the hot desert sands.
Yes, when people thirst, their behaviour changes.
And they will say things which they won’t usually say.
Earlier on, I said that the toilet is a place where we will go only when we are in need.
But have you heard of toilet talk?
Well the story goes that a man went to a pub for a drink.
After a few drinks, he felt the need to go to the toilet.
When he was in the cubicle, he heard a voice from the next cubicle : Hi, how are you doing?
The man was a bit surprised, but he replied : Oh, I’m fine. Things are going smoothly, literally.
And then the voice said : So what are you doing this evening?
Feeling a bit awkward now, the man nonetheless replied : Oh I’m just here for a few drinks.
Then the voice said : Tell you what, I will call you back later. There is this guy in the next cubicle who is answering all my questions. (so be careful what you say in the toilet; better still don’t talk in the toilet)
In the gospel there was no mention that Jesus got His drink.
There was also no mention of the Samaritan woman drawing water from the well.
But Jesus started the conversation, and they began talking. And it was certainly no toilet talk.
They talked about water, about relationships, about God, they talked about the things that mattered in life. It was a heart to heart talk.
In a way, Jesus asked the right questions and the Samaritan woman gave the answers that revealed her need.
What we need in life are also conversations that will refresh us.
Have we ever noticed that when we are engaged in a meaningful conversation, we forget about our thirst and we don’t even need a drink. Even if there is a drink around, it is just like an ornament, a decoration.
Because meaningful conversations with words spoken in love refreshes our hearts, like cool water that soothes the parched throat.
Let us ask the Lord to quench our hearts with His living water, so that our conversations with others will refresh them and lead them to Jesus who will quench their thirst.