A gift of thought. A friend of mine, but not only mine, Ron Keel, a priest and skilled writer of the diocese, has written five short meditations corresponding to each Sunday of Lent. With gratitude we will use the meditations in place of the clergy article for each week. A gift from Ron to provoke your thought. ~Father Bill Myrick
✦ Lenten Meditation and Prayer – Week 3 ✦ Father Ron Keel
Trust
Reading Reference: John 4:5–42
Meditation
At a well in the heat of the day, Jesus asks a woman for a drink. It is a simple request
— and a surprising one. Boundaries are crossed. Expectations are unsettled. And
slowly, a conversation opens that reaches far deeper than either of them anticipated.
This woman has learned not to trust easily. Life has taught her caution. She manages
what she reveals, when she appears, and whom she engages. Yet Jesus does not rush
her or demand belief. He stays. He listens. He speaks truth — not to expose her, but to
invite her into something more whole.
Trust grows here not through argument, but through relationship. Jesus does not
overwhelm her with doctrine. He offers living water — a promise of life that does not run
dry, even when circumstances remain complicated.
Lent invites us to notice how we build trust with God. Often slowly. Often imperfectly.
Sometimes through honest conversation rather than confident faith. The Samaritan
woman does not leave the well with every answer, but she leaves changed — brave
enough to speak, to witness, to hope.
In a world shaped by suspicion and division, this story reminds us that trust begins
when we allow ourselves to be met — truthfully and without fear.
Questions for Reflection
Where have I learned to be cautious rather than trusting?
What might it mean to trust God enough to be honest about my thirsts and needs?
How is God meeting me this Lent — patiently, persistently, and with grace?
Prayer
God of Living Water,
Meet us at the wells of our lives.
When trust feels fragile and faith feels uncertain, stay with us in conversation and grace.
Quench our deepest thirsts, and lead us toward lives rooted not in fear, but in trust that
grows day by day.
Amen.
–Written by Father Ron Keel
