Jesus, Take Me to Places Unknown [Samaritan Woman Reflections]

Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus himself was not baptizing, just his disciples),he left Judea and returned to Galilee. He had to pass through Samaria. So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.

John 4:1-5

Reflection Prayer

Jesus, Your Heart is on fire for all mankind. Each day, each moment on this earth, You strove to do Your Father’s mission. On this day, this mission brought You to Sychar in Samaria. This was a place many Jews avoided, went out of their way to go around. But not You, not today. Today, the Father’s will brought You to this town in need of healing, in need of renewal, in need of restoration, in need of their Savior. They desperately needed the Heart of God. And so, You came to them.

You show us in Your obedience to the Father that we, too, are always to follow Your will, even if Your will should take us out of our normal way of doing things. Your Heart burned so deeply to do the Father’s will that to do anything else would have been unthinkable. You desire our hearts to burn deeply with this desire as well. You invite us into Your Heart. Jesus, immerse us in Your Heart daily, so we may be inflamed with the same desire to fulfill the Father’s will You had when You walked upon this earth.

Closing Prayer

Jesus, immerse me in Your Heart of mercy and love. Help me to surrender to Your will so that doing anything else would be unthinkable. May I be fervent in my desire to do Your will. May I be willing to do anything and everything that You ask of me, even if it makes me uncomfortable, if it takes me to places I know not and requires sacrifice and love that know no bounds. Immerse me in Your Heart so I may never be the same again! Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

*Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition.