Well of Living Water

Posted on 23. Jan, 2020, in Christian Values, Community, Family, Feminism/Women in the Church, Gospel Values, Humane VitaeComments Off on Well of Living Water

Well of Living Water: Jesus and the Samaritan Woman is the title of Messenger Publications’ latest book, written by Magdalen Lawler, a Notre Dame sister living in London.  In this, her latest book, Magdalen uses an inspirational icon of the Samaritan ‘women at the well’ to help the reader reflect on the significance and meaning of the gospel encounter in their own lives.

Sr Magdalen has conducted retreats for many years, often with Scottish Jesuit Tom McGuinness, who is a singer-songwriter who has written a song, Touching the Water, based on the story of the woman at the well that has also been launched along with the book. (Listen to the full song here.)

In this two part series we hear from them both. First Pat Coyle spoke with Sr Magdalen about why she wrote the book. How she feels that while the gospel story of the Samaritan woman is read at Mass during Lent, it is rarely reflected on deeply enough in the Western Church. That’s not the case with the Eastern Churches who honour the importance of the encounter by actually naming the woman. “She’s called Photini, which means ‘light’”, says Magdalen, adding that derivative names in the west would include Fionn and Fionnuala in Ireland and Fiona is Scotland. Sr Magdalen began by explaining why the story and image are so important and why she wrote nine chapters on one passage.

Well of Living Water: Jesus and the Samaritan Woman, by Magdalen Lawler SND is published by Messenger Publications and costs €10.95.

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