(Source from “The Word Among Us”)

While we were still helpless . . . (Romans 5:6)

Do you think of yourself as “helpless”? “Of course not,” you might reply. “I have God-given abilities; I have family and friends to support me. I can take care of myself in lots of ways.”

But this isn’t the type of “helplessness” that St. Paul is talking about in our first reading. He’s saying that Jesus didn’t wait for us to help ourselves out of sin; he gave us his help by dying on the cross for us. He offered his mercy even before we asked for it! This sounds a bit like the father of the prodigal son in yesterday’s Gospel, doesn’t it?

The story of the Samaritan woman in today’s Gospel shows this principle in action as well. From the outside, this woman might not have seemed all that helpless. But Jesus saw her vulnerability and powerlessness. As a woman married many times who was now living in sin, she was helpless to integrate herself into society. That’s why she went to draw water at midday, when all the other women would not be there (John 4:6-7). She was helpless to explain her irregular marital situation when Jesus brought it up (4:16-17). And she was helpless against whatever fallen drives or external forces kept pushing her from one relationship to the next (4:18).

But Jesus came to her in all that helplessness and offered her the water of life. He didn’t wait for her to get her act together. He didn’t wait for her to seek him out. He came to her and engaged with her. He gave her hope that her life could change, that she could be saved, and that she could be restored. Simply put, in her helplessness, Jesus helped her.

He can do that for you, too! Even now, Jesus wants to help you, even if you don’t think of yourself as “helpless.” He sees your need, and he has just the right amount of grace and love to fill that need. So let Jesus come to you and help you today.

“Jesus, I need you!”