Today's Reading

The woman comes to the well at noon.

This is unusual. The usual routine would be to go to the village well first thing in the morning, before the heat of the day, and get the water for your household’s daily needs.

The woman has instead waited until noon, making her labour more difficult, in the dry, hot climate, presumably in order to avoid meeting others. She is a social outcast.

And we know why; she is living with a man adulterously.

Jesus reveals her sins to her. As a result, she is able to access the true living water.

The story models the sacrament of confession.