The dialogue with the Samaritan woman shows us that “Jesus Christ, our Saviour, removes both the mental barrier of the superiority and inferiority between Judeans and Samaritans, and one more barrier, that of man’s superiority over woman, which is to be seen in His Church, in the course of time, when lots of women would be saints”, the Patriarch of Romania said during the sermon delivered today in the Patriarchal Cathedral.
Today, 29 May 2016, the Orthodox Christians are on the 5th Sunday after Easter, also called the Sunday of the Samaritan woman. On this day, His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, celebrated the Divine Liturgy, at the Patriarchal Cathedral, together with His Grace Varlaam Ploieşteanul, Assistant Bishop to the Patriarch.
The Gospel parable scheduled to be read today at the Divine Liturgy in all the places of worship renders the dialogue between Jesus Christ, our Saviour, and the Samaritan woman (John 4:5-42 – see the text below).
The Patriarch of Romania showed in the sermon delivered that the Gospel text read today showed three great truths:
First of all, Jesus Christ is the Source of Grace, of the Living Water which flows for eternal life. Secondly, we see that grace heals man of sins and deifies one’s life. Thirdly, we see that the true worshippers are worshippers of the Father in Spirit and Truth. In other words, God-the-Father will be worshipped in Spirit and Truth, namely in a state of prayer and confession of the true faith. He is worshipped together with the Holy Spirit and with His Son who is the Truth, as He Himself confesses: “I am the Way, Truth, and Life!”.
His Beatitude has also shown that Jesus Christ’s talk with the Samaritan woman was very surprising for His disciples. First of all, it was because she was Samaritan, and secondly, because she was a woman.
In ancient times a woman was considered only a useful thing, with no value as person. Yet, the Jewish people paid some honour to woman, but she was not equal to man. Jesus Christ, our Saviour, removes both the mental barrier of the superiority and inferiority between Judeans and Samaritans, and one more barrier, that of man’s superiority over woman, which is to be seen in His Church, in the course of time, when lots of women would be saints”, His Beatitude Daniel explained.
