Encounter Jesus Personally – A Well Within Every Woman
- Beata
- Apr 23
- 6 min read
Updated: Jun 13
Encounter Jesus Personally - Samaritan Woman Reflection
Today I invite you to encounter Jesus personally starting with the Samaritan women, Photini, at the well of your heart.
“Now we believe, not just because of what you said, but we have heard for ourselves and know that this truly is the Saviour of the world.” — John 4:42
🌿 A Misunderstood Woman with a Mission
Photini came to the well not expecting to be seen, yet she was deeply known. Her arrival at noon—often interpreted as a sign of shame—may have reflected something more complicated than sin.
The Gospel doesn’t judge her, but we often do.
What we know is that she had five husbands and was living with someone who was not her husband. But Jesus never condemns her. Instead, He speaks directly and compassionately, offering her living water.
Every woman carries within her the echo of Photini—the Samaritan woman—whose thirst led her to the well, unaware that she was about to meet the One who would change everything.
The well, in this space, becomes a symbol of the heart—deep, hidden, often weary—yet created to hold the Living Water. ENCOUNTER is where soul meets Savior. It’s the sacred place of pause, of recognition, of intimacy.
As St. Teresa of Ávila wrote:
“The soul is like a castle made entirely of diamond or of very clear crystal, in which there are many rooms.”
In this space, one such room opens—the place where Jesus waits beside our well.
The courage of Photini can only inspire if we dare to know her—not just as a figure in Scripture, but as a woman who stepped out of shame and into purpose.
She came with a past.
She left with a mission.
Her testimony lit the fire—but her village believed not only because of her words, but because they encountered Jesus themselves.
And so do we. This is the invitation:
To come and see,
To stay and listen,
To move from hearing about Him to knowing Him for ourselves.
A Woman Treated Like a Seeker of Truth
What’s more striking is her spiritual depth.
She knew about the coming of the Messiah and wasn't afraid to enter into a theological conversation with a man—something radical for her time.
She asked questions.
She listened.
And when her heart recognized the truth, she didn't hide it.
She acted. She ran to her village, the same people who likely judged her, and became a witness.
She was not a woman of shame. She was a woman of strength, clarity, and mission.
Jesus didn’t treat her as a sinner to be silenced—He treated her as a seeker of truth, worthy of deep revelation.
Her dignity was affirmed through dialogue, not denial. Her transformation began not with condemnation, but with conversation.
🕯️ A Forgotten Apostle
It’s astonishing how few Catholics today know her name: Photini. Yet she was the first person to whom Jesus explicitly revealed that He is the Messiah (John 4:26).
Before Peter’s confession.
Before the miracles and teachings spread.
This woman—foreign, socially outcast, religiously "wrong"—received a revelation of cosmic importance.
And she didn’t keep it to herself. Photini ran and evangelized her village. Her testimony led others to meet Jesus, and once they encountered Him, they believed not only because of her, but because they had seen Him themselves.
That is the heart of discipleship: to bring others not to ourselves, but to Christ.
Still, Photini’s name and significance have been largely forgotten in the Western Church. In the Eastern tradition, she is revered as Equal to the Apostles, her bold witness honored, her martyrdom remembered. But in many Catholic homilies and reflections, she remains unnamed, simplified into a moral lesson rather than a missionary figure.
Her voice was prophetic. It is time we let it speak again.
The First to Hear the Truth About Worship
Photini was not only the first to receive Jesus’ self-revelation as the Messiah—she was also the first to hear His groundbreaking teaching on worship:
“The hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem… the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth” (John 4:21–24).
This was a theological turning point.
It marked the end of exclusive, location-based worship and the beginning of a universal, interior relationship with God—open to all who approach in spirit and truth. Jesus didn’t entrust this truth to a rabbi, a priest, or even His own disciples. He gave it to her. A Samaritan woman. An outsider.
This shows us not only Jesus’ trust in Photini, but her capacity to understand and carry such a mystery. She wasn’t a passive listener—she was a theologically engaged woman with a receptive spirit.
Long before Pentecost, long before the missionary journeys of the apostles, the revolution of the Spirit had already begun in her heart.
From the Jar to the Mission
The Gospel says, “Then the woman left her water jar…” (John 4:28).
This simple sentence is a profound act of transformation.
The jar was her reason for coming—her daily burden, her symbol of dependence. In leaving it behind, she showed that what she had received from Jesus was greater than what she came to get.
She ran back to the village—not out of fear, but out of purpose. This was not the same woman who approached the well in isolation. This was a woman who had been radically seen, forgiven, and called. The water she had drawn was replaced by the Living Water flowing within her, and she could not keep it in.
In that moment, she became a vessel—not of shame, but of truth. And through her witness, others believed. Her past didn’t disqualify her. It prepared her. The well was no longer a place of labor, but of encounter—and she carried that encounter outward.
Photini, a Mirror for Modern Women
Photini stands as a mirror for every woman who has ever been misjudged. She represents those who carry complex pasts, quiet burdens, or invisible strength. For women whose voices were ignored, whose hearts were underestimated, Photini is proof that Jesus sees more.
She was spiritually intelligent, emotionally brave, and socially subversive. She spoke when silence was expected. She testified when it was dangerous. She followed her conviction rather than tradition. Her life shows us that the call to discipleship is not limited by gender, status, or past mistakes.
Today, modern women face many of the same judgments—expected to carry burdens quietly, to conform, to shrink. Photini’s story invites us to shed those burdens, speak with courage, and step into sacred purpose. The same Living Water that flowed through her is offered to every woman today.
She is not a relic of history. She is a symbol of what happens when a woman is seen by Christ, and dares to live from that encounter.
☕ Prayer: Encounter Jesus Personally – A Well Within Every Woman
Holy Spirit,
Lead me to the well again. To that sacred place in the heart where truth waits, Where longing and love meet.
Let me come, like Photini, with questions, with weariness, with hope— Having heard of Jesus from others, but now ready to meet Him for myself.
In this space, I lay down my jar—my distractions, my defenses, my doubts. And I listen.
This is the encounter we were made for: Not secondhand faith, but the kind that transforms. Not hearsay, but heart-say. Not religion, but relationship.
Photini lives on— In every woman who dares to come to the well, and stays long enough to be seen.
Let every reflection here be a doorway. Let every story be a stirring. Let every word be an invitation to personally encounter the Savior of the world.
Amen.
🌿 Invitation to the Heart:
Have you ever felt unseen, misread, or underestimated? Photini reminds us that Jesus sees deeper. He calls women into purpose, witness, and spiritual authority—then and now. What jar is He asking you to leave behind?
🔭 Reflection: My Own Encounter with Jesus – A Well Within
Where is my well? The place I return to when I’m thirsty for more?
What jar do I carry that needs to be set down to truly encounter Jesus?
Have I ever moved from hearing about Him to really knowing Him? What did that moment look like?
💧 Leave the Jar. Find the Well.
💧 If her story moved you, explore other journeys of faith and transformation in the Letters to Serena and Letters to Cassia series. Each letter is a well waiting for you to draw deeper.
👉If this reflection touched you, help others discover Photini’s story.
📣 Share this post, tag a friend, leave a comment, and spread the word about the first forgotten apostle. Her voice deserves to be heard again.
Komentáře