Word of St. John of Kronstadt on the Week of the Samaritan Woman

In the Gospel that was read today, Saint John the Theologian tells us about the conversation of our Lord Jesus Christ and a woman, who belonged to the Samaritan schism. On the account of her coming to the well for water, which normally quenches bodily thirst, – the Lord teaches her about spiritual water, or the grace of God, which quenches the thirst of the immortal human soul, putting in it, through sincere repentance, the heat of the passions and cooling and assuaging its conscience; – and then, as the Samaritan woman started to talk about the place, where the Samaritans prayed to God, and the Jews were forbidding them to pray there, insisting that it is only in Jerusalem that one can pray to God, – the  Lord instructs her, and us through her, in spiritual prayer, – in every place, for God is spirit and looks at the heart of the one who prays, and not at the place where he prays, where he is present bodily, in church, or at home, or in any other place, for one can stand in church with his body, but with his soul and his heart be God knows where; however, the church is the preferred, sanctified by God himself, place of prayer and of holy mysteries.

In the Gospel that was read today, Saint John the Theologian tells us about the conversation of our Lord Jesus Christ and a woman, who belonged to the Samaritan schism. On the account of her coming to the well for water, which normally quenches bodily thirst, – the Lord teaches her about spiritual water, or the grace of God, which quenches the thirst of the immortal human soul, putting in it, through sincere repentance, the heat of the passions and cooling and assuaging its conscience; – and then, as the Samaritan woman started to talk about the place, where the Samaritans prayed to God, and the Jews were forbidding them to pray there, insisting that it is only in Jerusalem that one can pray to God, – the  Lord instructs her, and us through her, in spiritual prayer, – in every place, for God is spirit and looks at the heart of the one who prays, and not at the place where he prays, where he is present bodily, in church, or at home, or in any other place, for one can stand in church with his body, but with his soul and his heart be God knows where; however, the church is the preferred, sanctified by God himself, place of prayer and of holy mysteries.

Then, the Lord instructs his disciples, who brought the food which they had bought in the city and offered to the Lord to partake of it, – that His food is to do the will of His Father in heaven Who had sent Him, and to carry out His works, and that means that they must also prefer carrying out the will of God regarding them and all men in general, that is, saving the souls and bringing them to eternal life, and they should prefer that to any food. Finally, the Evangelist narrates that many of the Samaritan city Sychar have believed in the Lord as in the promised one, through the prophets of old, Messiah, or Savior of the world, first according to the word of the Samaritan woman, who has preached to them about Jesus Christ, as the One who knows the hearts and a great Prophet, and then, – through their own conviction in the course of those two days when, according to their pleas, Jesus Christ has remained in Sychar and with the teaching and miracles has brought them to the faith in Himself, as in the Creator and Savior of the human race, Who has come to the world in the flesh. Now the meaning of today’s Gospel  is clear to us. All we need to do is to take from it the lesson for our life.

Thus, let it be for us also, brethren and sisters, that above all food and drink, we should prefer the desire of salvation of the soul, both ours and the one of any other man, that is, let our foremost desire and work be constant, heartfelt repentance in sins; sincere faith and hope in God, prayer of the heart and good deeds, such as: meekness, humility, peace-making, honesty and rightness, sincerity and lack of hypocrisy in all our life, unceasing work and useful labors, continence, purity and chastity, charity from a good heart: for that is the true food and drink for the soul. Nothing earthly can satisfy the soul, which is created in the image and likeness of God, no dinners, no sumptuous meals or exquisite drinks shall quench its thirst, nor the mounds of gold or other treasures, no worldly glory, no pleasures of the world: – in God alone is the end of all our desires, satisfaction of the thirst of our souls, – in His eternal truth and holiness, in His incorruptible blessedness. It is of the soul, of the soul which is immortal, and of life eternal, let us strive, brethren, to take care, – and the body will receive all that it needs in moderate labors, which are according to its strength; seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you ¹); all that is earthly and corruptible will pass, all will stay on earth, and the earth will all burn in its due time, according to the word of God, and the soul shall live forever, – either in eternal blessedness, or in eternal torments, according to each person’s deeds. Therefore, while we have the time, let us all strive to acquire the salvific grace of God, let us live in repentance and virtue. Amen.