One day a large dog walks into a butcher shop, carrying a purse in its mouth. The dog puts the purse down and sits in front of the meat case. The butcher jokingly asks, “What is it fella, do you want to buy some meat?” “Woof!” barks the dog. And so the butcher goes on, “And how much steak do you want? Half a pound, one pound...” “Woof! Woof!” barks the dog once again. The amazed butcher wraps up the meat and finds the money in the dog’s purse. As the dog leaves the shop, the amazed butcher decides to follow. The dog enters an apartment building, climbs the stairs to the third floor and begins scratching at the door. Finally, the door opens and an angry man starts shouting and yelling at the dog. “Stop!” yells the butcher. “Why are you yelling at this wonderful dog? He’s the most intelligent animal I’ve ever seen!” “Intelligent!” counters the man. “Why this is the third time this week that he’s forgotten his key.”

      The point of this story is about perspective and attitude. As Christians we must have the correct perspective and the proper attitude towards those we come in contact with in our daily living and life - regardless of who they may be, no matter what their race, nationality or religion. We have seen it so often in the past. We still see it today. We see it on a grand scale when we see thousands of people herded into confined areas without food or homes or dignity. But we also see it on a smaller scale, even within our own country, within our own cities and towns, and yes, even within our own neighborhoods. Governments, armies, and even churches have embraced its doctrine. Even in our own hearts and personal attitudes, we are not free from its taint. We recognize it all right when it expresses itself in genocide, in so-called “ethnic cleansing,” like in Nazi Germany fifty years ago or in Bosnia today. But sometimes we fail to recognize the more subtle forms of prejudice when it expresses itself in notions of racial or religious purity or in terms of personal superiority.

      What is this destructive philosophy, this fear within us that never seems to be rooted out? We are afraid of what is different. Of course, we will love our neighbors, as Christ taught us, providing of course, that our neighbors are like us. Differences challenge us and make us uncomfortable. We do not easily accept the stranger, especially, when they are different from us.  Even our own bodies reject invading germs, and in nature, each species seeks to guard its own kind or its territory. So we ask, are these prejudices natural? Do we just accept that a person, because of his or her “otherness” or “differentness,” should become our enemy, that nation should fight nation, that religions should despise each other?

      Today’s gospel reading tells us otherwise. In it we find Christ, the Messiah sent to the chosen people, talking quietly to a woman of Samaria, and not only talking, but asking her for what he needs -- a drink of water. But to fully appreciate what is transpiring, we must understand two important things. First of all, Jesus, a Rabbi, is speaking to a woman. In those days a Rabbi was forbidden to greet a woman in public. He could not even speak to his own wife or daughter or sister in public. Some Rabbis took it to the extreme and would even shut their eyes when they saw a woman on the street. Secondly, to the Jews of that time the Samaritans were a despised people, to be resisted at every turn and driven out of Israel. Although they were also descended from Abraham as were the Jews, and even though they meticulously observed the law of Moses as did the Jews, the Samaritans were viewed by the Jews as if they were Gentiles. They were seen as unclean, impure, and their religion was considered idolatrous because they worshipped on the wrong mountain. To the Jews the Samaritans were outcasts and a rejected people.

      The Jews were often attacked by Samaritans as they journeyed along the pilgrim road through Samaria to Jerusalem. And it was not uncommon, that in the middle of the night, Samaritans would sneak into the Jewish temple in Jerusalem and scatter human bones about, thereby defiling the temple for worship by the Jews. In return, the Jews eventually destroyed the Samaritan’s temple.

      This is the context in which we find Jesus, a Jew and a Rabbi, sitting at the well asking a Samaritan woman for a drink. No wonder the woman is so surprised, almost to rudeness, by his unexpected behavior. And so she questions him in a manner that echoes the old feud between their people: “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a Samaritan woman?”

      Jesus’ response to her is a gentle one as he begins to lead her to an understanding of things deeper and spiritual. If only she knew who was asking, he says, she in turn would be asking him instead for this living water. She sees he has no bucket, no means of drawing water from the well, and yet, he talks about giving her water that will permanently quench her thirst, a water that, like a spring within, will well up into Eternal Life. The woman fails to see the point he is trying to make, as she responds by asking for a supply of this water that will relieve her of her daily task of coming to the well. So again Jesus uses something familiar to get his message across. He tells her to get her husband, and in the ensuing conversation, reveals to her his wonderful statement of  his Messiahship and his Divinity. Her eventual response is to become Jesus’ Apostle, as she goes off and tells all the people in her town about Jesus. As a result, many in the town came to believe in Jesus.

      So what is it that Christ is doing in this gospel? What he does not do is to take sides in a national and religious dispute. He does not offer to be an arbitrator in the dispute nor does he condemn the participants. Instead, he offers to an alienated people, the same gifts that were bestowed upon the chosen ones -- Eternal Life, the indwelling of his Spirit, and water that will counteract the barrenness of hatred and misunderstanding. Here was Jesus breaking down the barriers of nationality and orthodox Jewish custom. Here is the beginning of the universality of the gospel; here is God giving his love to the world, not in theory, but in reality and in action.

      Supported and reinforced by religion, the hatred between Jew and Samaritan ran as deep as many feuds in our modern world, and in our every day living and life. But, in this gospel passage, Jesus Christ calls each of us to give to him so that he might give to us. He also calls us to have an attitude of valuing everyone in our living and life and calls us to extend equality to all of them. Through our faith in Christ, we have a way to love all others as we love ourselves.