SPIRITUAL RETREAT

FROM THE SACRED TEXT TO THE EXISTENTIAL CONTEXT,

WITH THE PRETEXT OF THE ENCOUNTER WITH CHRIST

Reread the text “The Encounter of Jesus with the Samaritan Woman” (Jn 4, 1-30, 39-42) as an analogy of our personal encounter with Christ.

The text about the Encounter of Jesus with the Samaritan woman can be interpreted by us like an analogical way when we place ourselves in the place of the Samaritan woman; but to do this analogical exercise we must compare the text not with a fact of my life, but with all my history of conversion to Christ. So I will be moving from the text to the context of my existence, I will be giving life to the text and at the same time allowing the sacred text to enter my life so that the written words can enter my heart as a source of Living Water that springs for eternal life.

On the path of life, it is not always easy to remain faithful to the Lord, to ourselves and to the pursuit of happiness with others; sometimes we lose ourselves in useless things, we disintegrate and put our trust in our own strengths, we seek self-affirmation and we break with the Lord of life. Just like the Samaritans we can get away from God and follow the idols, to change the Living Water for other waters. While we are on the road we will always run the risk of corrupting ourselves and when that happens only the personal Encounter with the Lord can bring us back, so that we can integrate ourselves from within and return to the grace for live in the Spirit of the Lord.

We did not come here by chance, just because of our history, but something else has brought us here in the place where we are now. Our history is not a story of chance, but a history of life, of spirit, of faith, of relationship with God and with others, for that reason, it is a history full of life and meaning, it is a process that takes us to the fullness of our existence.

When we meet the Lord personally on the path of life we ​​are attracted and included by him, but also questioned from our own being; when we talk with him from the vital text, which is us, is when we understand his proposal, is when we recognize him as a source of Living Water. Becoming aware that Christ takes us to the source of living water is the first step in making the decision to live in him and with him. This exercise consists in rediscover the way in which God calls us to the personal encounter with Christ, mediation to our conversion to live in him, guided by the Holy Spirit, which makes us more human and full of life.

FIRST STEP: Reading of the text.

“Will you give me a drink?”

1.  Read the text until you have a first understanding of what is involved.

2.  Highlight the attitudes and feelings of the Samaritan woman.

3.  Highlight the attitudes of Jesus in relation to women.

SECOND STEP: Remembrance of life.

Jesus constantly tells us: “whoever drinks the water that I give him will never thirst.”

1. In the light of the text, look how my personal encounter with Christ has been.

2. Become aware of my attitudes and feelings that prevent me from encounter Christ in my life today.

3. Remember the moments, events, situations and realities in which the Spirit has guided me, in which I felt guided by his power.

4. Identify which are the idols of my life that have distanced me from the true God. What are the difficulties in worshiping him in spirit and truth?

THIRD STEP:  Encounter with Christ and life in the Spirit.

“Lord, give me this water so that I will not get thirsty anymore”.

1. Ask the Lord the gift to live according to his Spirit.

2. Give thanks to God for the comforting and renewing Spirit of the universe.