HG Bishop Ioan Casian: Christ reveals Himself through the words " I who speak to you am He" as the Messiah of all
“In the Church we live in apostolic times - said His Grace Bishop Ioan Casian in his speech on Samaritan Woman’ Sunday in the Diocesan Cathedral of Saint-Hubert. Not because we live in the same period with the Holy Apostles, but because we live the same mystery that takes place in the Church. God transforms these gifts of man, bread and wine, into elements that lead us to eternal life. Today's Sunday refers to the episode of the Savior's encounter with a Samaritan woman at Jacob's well in Sihar. It is a Sunday with a particular and very rich significance. The fountain of Patriarch Jacob, which still exists today, is an image of what the saving and transfiguring grace of the Kingdom of Heaven means.
In the dialogue with the woman from Samaria, the Savior refers to the water of Eternal Life. The Samaritan woman does not seem to understand what it is about being more concerned with the physical element. The Savior makes her understand that the One who stood before her is not an ordinary man, but the Messiah, in a very direct way: ‘I who speak to you am He’ (John 4, 26). The Samaritan woman receives this mystery. She would later be baptized by the Apostles as Fotini. When one receives baptism, becomes a partaker of God's grace and eternal life.
One of the great writers of the Church, Origen, understands this dialogue and this encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman as a sign of the equal respect He gives to women as well as men. Even the disciples were amazed that the Savior was speaking to a Samaritan woman. He shows the disciples that woman is equal to man in dignity, being the image of God as he is. He pays her the attention that no one would probably have given even the disciples.
Also, this encounter reported today highlights the very Eucharistic dimension of our relationship as a Church with God. The food of which the Savior speaks in this pericope, of doing the will of the Father, is for us the participation in the Holy Eucharist by which we respond to God's call and fulfill His will. We share in the Risen Body of the Savior Christ. We become, within the limits of our human nature, one with God when we share in Christ. »
His Grace Bishop Ioan Casian concluded the sermon by urging the faithful to deepen their understanding of the meanings of this pericope:
“This text shows us how important the encounter and the dialogue between the Savior and the Samaritan woman is. We are in the period of joy, of communion in the light of the Resurrection of Christ, in which we have the living water in the Church through Holy Communion. Let's enjoy this wonderful day and this wonderful encounter with the Samaritan woman at the fountain. This reveals to us the importance of encountering God, which starts from very concrete things of ours and elevates us to a higher spiritual level. The Savior reveal Himself to the woman of Samaria and through her to us all, as the Messiah, as the Son of God, the One who gives eternal life and redemption.”