Lord entered into conversation with her, and spoke to her about the wonderful living water. The woman believed that He could give her such water and asked Him for some. She was ashamed and humbled herself, when He reminded her of her sins. She accepted the hard truth, and acknowledged her guilt without excusing it. Then Jesus gave her further grace and revealed Himself to her as the Messias. She believed and with an apostolic spirit tried to spread the faith among her townsfolk.
Application. Do you honour God merely with your lips? Do you pray with attention? Do you worship God in spirit and truth by hearing Mass, and hearing it with devotion and with a clean conscience in the state of grace? Make a resolution to say all your prayers from this time forward with recollection and devotion.
Chapter XVII.
JESUS PREACHES AT NAZARETH.
[John 4, 43 — 45. Luke 4, 16 — 30. Mark 6, 1—6. Mat. 13, 54.]
FROM Sichar Jesus returned to Nazareth, in His own country[1], and preached the word of life[2], as He went. Now in Nazareth He entered the synagogue[3], on the Sabbath-day, and stood up[4] to read. They[5] gave Him the book of Isaias[6] the prophet. He unfolded [7] the book and found [8] the place where it was written [9]:
- ↑ His own country. Galilee was called thus, because Jesus had hitherto lived there with His foster-father.
- ↑ Word of life. The good new's that the reign of the Messias, of redemption and of grace had begun.
- ↑ The synagogue. This was the name given to the house of prayer in every town, in which the Jews assembled in order to pray together and to read the Old Testament Scriptures.
- ↑ Stood up. As a sign that He too wished to read out of the sacred books. The reading was preceded by prayers in which the speedy coming of the Messias was urgently asked for. The holy Scriptures were read standing as an outward token of respect for the word of God.
- ↑ They. i. e. the servers of the synagogue.
- ↑ Isaias. It being the turn for this book.
- ↑ Unfolded. The books of the ancients were written, not printed, and were rolled up, something like a school-map, instead of being laid flat and bound up.
- ↑ Found. Not accidentally, but with a wise purpose.
- ↑ Written. The passage which Jesus read was taken from Isaias 61, I 2. It was acknowledged by all the Jews to relate to the Messias, who is himself uttering the words quoted.
