725 the fifth word such an awful venom that in Adam, we all die. On the other hand, it is most certainly true that Christ our Lord was in no way infused with this potent toxin of the hellish serpent, since he was born of Mary, the Conqueror of the serpent, who likewise was not only untouched by sin but even by the impulse to sin. He clothed Himself with the robe of human flesh primarily with the goal to provide a medicine for our disease. Out of love for us, He took upon Himself our weakness — and as the prophet testifies — He carried our infirmities and bore our pains (Is 53:4). “But [He] emptied [H]imself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” (Phil 2:7). He burned with such a constant thirst for the salvation of our souls that it would have seemed that He was somehow stung by the hellish serpent. Therefore, Cardinal Hugo said beautifully: “It is strange […] that the Fount should thirst […] all this, however, is for us.”85 He once cried out in the midst of the Temple of Jerusalem: “If any one thirst, let him come to [M]e and drink” (Jn 7:37). In the person of David, He also revealed His thirst, crying out: “O that some one would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem which is by the gate!” All this is on account of us. Let us proceed. Jesus was heading — as His beloved disciple recounts — from Judea into Galilee through Samaria; and when He had come to the city of Sychar, “Jesus, wearied as [H]e was with [H]is journey, sat down beside the well” (Jn 4:6). Meanwhile, a woman came with a bucket to draw out some water. He said to her: “Give [M]e a drink” (Jn 4:7). O woman a hundred times blessed, who was asked for a drink by Him who is the Creator of all water! Quick, quick, immerse the bucket into the fount, and refresh with your cold water the Fount of all good things. But, she does not want to. Why [not]? Because she declares that she is a Samaritan. (She dares to dispute with Eternal Wisdom.) “‘How is it that you, 85 Cf. Hugo, In Evangelium secundum Ioannem, cap. IV: Ugonis de S. Charo S. Romane Ecclesiae tit. S. Sabinae Cardinalis Primi Ordinis Praedicatorum, tom. VI, in Evangelia secundum Matthaeum, Marcum, Lucam, Ioannem, Coloniae Agrippinae 1621, f.304v (ad verba: Dicit ei Iesus: Da mihi bibere).
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjI2Mw==