This World So Much Needs an Encounter at Jacob’s Well

On Sunday, May 3, Metropolitan Borys Gudziak concelebrated the Divine Liturgy with Bishop William Koenig at St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church in Wilmington. In his homily, Metropolitan Borys reflected on the Gospel account of Christ’s encounter with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, emphasizing that Jesus comes into the world to heal the wounds carried within the human heart.

Speaking about the historical tension between Jews and Samaritans, he noted that Christ deliberately crossed barriers of division in order to encounter the person before Him with love and compassion. “Jesus came into this world to bridge the gap between humanity and God,” the Metropolitan said. “And for that to happen, the gap between us needs to be bridged.” Reflecting on the Samaritan woman’s painful life story, Metropolitan Borys emphasized that Christ did not reject her, but gently opened her heart through a personal encounter. “Jesus is not dismissing the mores by talking to her,” he said. “He’s knocking at her heart.”

The Metropolitan noted that behind the Gospel story stands a woman who had suffered deeply through broken relationships and rejection. “Anybody that has gone through a divorce, who has accompanied a divorce, who knows what the breakup of a family relationship is like, does not smile at those facts,” he said. “This woman suffered a lot.” Connecting the Gospel to the reality of human life today, he added: “Like with her, so with us, much of our suffering we cause ourselves. Or at least we inflict it upon each other. And Jesus comes to touch her wounds.”

Metropolitan Borys invited the faithful to reflect on their own lives and their willingness to open themselves to God’s healing presence. “We’ve got, all of us have a closet. And there’s something there,” he said. “And the question is, can we open ourselves to this encounter? Because it is a healing encounter.” He continued: “Jesus wants to be with us. He is a Judean, wanted to be with this Samaritan woman.” Referring to the hidden burdens people carry, the Metropolitan added that Christ desires to “take away the shame, the pain, the guilt, the jealousy, the aggression, the anxiety.” Reflecting on the wounds present in society and the world today, especially in the context of war and violence, Metropolitan Borys said: “This world so much needs an encounter at Jacob’s well.” He warned that hatred and aggression arise when people reject God’s loving presence and instead “foist upon other human beings their hate, their aggression, their violence.”

Speaking about Christian witness, Metropolitan Borys described the priesthood and the vocation of every baptized person as “a witness of hope.” Quoting the late spiritual writer Henri Nouwen and his book The Wounded Healer, he reflected: “We’re all wounded. We’re all Samaritan women. We all need to open up to the healing presence, Word, and touch of the Lord.”