In the gospel this week we read about an encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. Historically there is much distrust and hatred between the Jews and the Samaritans and this encounter at the well breaks two cultural taboos. Firstly, for a man to speak directly to an unchaperoned woman was wrong and here, in this gospel, Jesus asks the woman for a drink. Secondly, Jesus the Jew directly addresses a Samaritan. In this scene Jesus is breaking down walls between the Jews and the Samaritans and he reveals to the woman that he is the promised Messiah. After this encounter at the well, the Samaritan woman is compelled to spread the good news about this amazing man that she had met. There is much imagery around the use of water in this week's readings. In today's first reading God provided water to the people who were dying of thirst in the desert. In the gospel Jesus promises to give us the water of eternal life. This led us to a discussion about the waters of Baptism and we talked about what Baptism means in our lives.Our bodies all need water to survive - Jesus is promising us the special water that keeps us alive forever through Baptism. An interesting link can be made for our children between this week’s gospel and their celebration of the Sacrament of Baptism.