The word ‘draw’, in this context, means to ‘to pull or move something in a specific direction.’ St. John tells us that the woman came to draw water from the well and that ‘it was about noon.’ These two details are important… Briefly, lets think about the woman. Most women of her time would have come to the well early in the morning, before the heat of the day. She comes alone at midday. It says something about her status among her peers, that she is unwelcome, she is a sinner, and probably ashamed of herself because of her situation. But she still needs water to survive… Later in John’s Gospel Jesus says something remarkable: “when I am lifted up from the earth I will draw all people to myself” (Jn 12:32).  Here’s the interesting piece – when Jesus was crucified, St. John notes that it was midday… It was the moment He was “lifted up” … Here, in this scene with the Samaritan woman, he is telling us of Passion. He is telling us the He is the well… He is the living water … And what exactly is the “water” that He gives … When the soldier pierced His sacred side out flowed blood and water … symbolizing baptism and Eucharist. The sacraments are what keep us alive in Him. The sacraments are how He draws us to Himself… pulls us toward Him. And we don’t have the sacraments without priests…

          It is no secret that the Diocese of Springfield is lacking vocations to the priesthood. It is no secret that our clergy are stretched super thin. It is no secret that our parish numbers are down – across the diocese. And it is no secret that many people have been hurt by the Church in years past… It is no wonder we are in the state we are in now. We ought not be shocked. The Church is on fire and we need good men to run into the flames. We need good men who are willing to lay down their lives for the salvation of souls. We need good men who Christ chooses as His priests to be His instrument to draw more and more souls to Himself, who will nourish the faithful with His Body and Blood, who will help usher the dying into eternal life, who bring a sinner back to right relationship with God, who will pour himself out for the life of the Church, so that her people can live…

          Currently, the diocese has 2 seminarians and 3 more in application. Our numbers are trending up, thanks be to God! But it’s not enough and we need your help. The task of finding the next generation of priest is the work of the whole Church – not just one person. All of us need to be courageous and encourage our young men to consider a vocation to the priesthood – and young women to consider religious life. And there are a few ways in which we can be supportive. The first of course, is to pray daily that the Holy Spirit open the hearts and minds of the men in our diocese to hear God’s call. Pray for our young people. Second, I mentioned we have 2 seminarians and 3 applicants … Monetary donations to the ACA also can benefit seminarians and their education. And you can earmark those donations for this cause. Thirdly, we cannot be afraid to encourage our young people to faith. We need to speak to them about how to lead lives of virtue. We must not be afraid to say to a man – have you ever thought of priesthood? I can tell you from firsthand experience, you never know who might be listening to you…