A Smile, An Ear and An Open Heart

John 4:5-42

The woman then left her water jar and ran off into the town.

One particular Lent, I decided to give up drinking soft drinks. I don’t recall how much I drank at the time, but it must have been significant enough for me to feel that it would be a sacrifice to give it up. And I did it! For forty days and forty nights I did not consume even one sip, much less a can, of root beer, cola, or ginger ale. When Easter came, I looked forward to having a drink of my favorite ginger ale. I took one sip and practically spit it out! It was so sweet!! How in the world did I ever drink this stuff as much as I did, I wondered. To this day, I do not drink sodas.

One of the down sides of my abstention, is that I became a bit of an activist for not drinking soda pops. I would tell anyone who would listen all the various reasons why they should not drink this stuff. I got a lot of blank stares, and bored nods, so I gave up my campaign. I didn’t mean to be obnoxious (even though I probably was), I was just so excited about what I had discovered I wanted to share it with everyone I met.

The story of the Woman at The Well, shows this kind of reaction from the woman. She is so blown away by the fact that she has been talking to the Messiah that she runs off to the town to tell everyone she meets. And, as we know from the story, the townspeople all go out to see Jesus and come to believe.

I wonder if this would happen in todays world? If someone came to the realization that Christ is present to them in a real and alive way, and then excitedly told people in their home, school, work, or even church – would the hearers get enthusiastic as well? Pardon my jaded opinion, but I think not. Our world is too focused on filling the needs of the day to be concerned about genuine spiritual things. Society has become fixated about all the things that are wrong or bad in culture and society.

In a recent podcast called “The Spiritual Life with Fr. James Martin, SJ”,{1} Fr. Jim interviewed Fr. Richard Rohr OFM. In that interview, Fr. Richard commented on how we have become obsessed with the issue of sin and of all things wrong or bad. This is not new to modern culture, by any means. It has been a part of Christianity for 1300 years.

The problem with this point of view, says Rohr, is that it leads to judgment, reward and punishment mind sets. We have become too competitive and xenophobic. Imagine if Jesus had this mindset. The woman at the well would have not stood a chance. To start with she was, well, a woman; one who should remain silent and unseen. She was a Samaritan, hated by the Jews. She was divorced and living with a man not her husband. She was poor. All “good” reasons to ignore and condemn her.

But Jesus had an entirely different way of thinking. Rohr goes on to say that Jesus did not see sin, he saw brokenness and the need for healing. Jesus knew that humanity would be forever in need of healing. He spent his life modeling for people of all time how to be merciful and kind and healers. Fr. Jim Martin added that as the risen Christ, Jesus offered no judgements of anyone and brought only peace and forgiveness.

I am challenged by the Gospel to be one who brings healing, peace, and no judgements  to all I encounter. It’s just a mindset that I need to adapt, letting go of my desire to criticize, to be afraid and to punish. I need to open my eyes to see the poor, “Samaritan women” in my life and give them a smile, an ear and an open heart. And, perhaps, a cup of ginger ale.

Every Day.

© 2026 by Timothy J. Doppel

All Rights Reserved

{1}  Martin SJ, James (Host), 2026, February 3, Richard Rohr On God, Brokenness and Healing, Audio podcast, “The Spiritual Life with Fr. James Martin, SJ”, AMERICA Magazine, https://www.americamagazine.org/thespirituallife/