The healing you desire is within you: Introduction
It could be rightly said that there is no growth or blessing in the Christian life without preceding desire. The deeper and stronger the desire, the greater the openness to subsequent blessing and growth. But a question arises. Do we receive the graces we desire from within or from without? Arguably it is more a matter of releasing graces which have already been received in baptism, than receiving them from without. That seems to be implicit in what Jesus said to the Samaritan woman who he met at the well of Jacob.
The Christian life grows from a deep desire for God. Open your heart and trust that the graces given to you in baptism are already flowing within, ready to bring life, healing, and refreshment.
Scripture Reading & Reflection
Reading Jn 4:7-14
A Samaritan woman came to draw some water, and Jesus said to her,
“Give me a drink of water.”
The woman answered, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan — so how can you ask me for a drink?”
Jesus answered, “If only you knew what God gives and who it is that is asking you for a drink, you would ask him, and he would give you life-giving water.”
“Sir,” the woman said, “you haven't got a bucket, and the well is deep. Where would you get that life-giving water? It was our ancestor Jacob who gave us this well; he and his sons and his flocks all drank from it. You don't claim to be greater than Jacob, do you?”
Jesus answered, “All those who drink this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring which will provide him with life-giving water and give him eternal life.”
When Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well, he revealed that God’s life is already offered within us, like a hidden spring waiting to be released. God invites us to discover the life-giving water that has quietly been flowing within our hearts all along. For anyone searching, this is a gentle invitation to pause, listen, and trust that God’s life may already be quietly rising within you.
Prayer
Lord, I long to know Your presence more deeply. Free me from sin; forgive me. Strengthen my inner self and free me from anything that separates me from You. Fill every empty space within me with Your love. Renew my desire for prayer, Your Word, and the sacraments. Let Your Spirit bring healing, peace, and joy to my heart, and help me to live in the fullness of Your love.
Lord, I open my heart to you. Let your living water rise within me, bringing peace, healing, and love. Help me trust that your grace is already here, quietly renewing my heart and guiding each step.
TESTIMONY
Some years ago, a woman approached me after a talk on the graces received in baptism, saying she felt that if I prayed for her, those graces could be released in a healing way. I prayed that the Holy Spirit she had received in baptism and confirmation would be released in a powerful way within her. In the years that followed, she experienced a deep awareness of God’s love and peace, and others who were prayed for similarly encountered the Spirit’s healing and refreshing presence.
Come and open your heart to God. Just as others have experienced his Spirit, you too can know a deep awareness of his love, peace, and healing flowing quietly within you.