Sunday of the Samaritan Woman, Fifth Sunday of Pascha
May 7
Chrysostom on John 4:5-42
The hour cometh, says Christ; indeed, now is the time of My Advent, when true worshippers will neither worship in one place alone, like the Samaritans, nor will they worship at Jerusalem, like the Jews, who offer to God the sacrifice of the Law, which is but a shadow (of that which is to come); they will worship in every place, and will offer to God the true sacrifice, no longer a shadow. Because God is a spirit, He seeks spiritual worshippers, and because he is Truth, (He seeks) true (worshippers). The hour cometh when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth.
From John Chrysostom, The Gospel Commentary, translated from Slavonic into English by Abbot German Ciuba (Church of the Nativity of Christ, Old Rite, Erie, Pa.)
Blessed Theophylact on John 4:5-42
By saying that the Lord was wearied with his journey, the Evangelist shows us His humility and simplicity, for Christ did not even use a donkey on His journey, but walked on foot, teaching us to make due with less. He also indicates that the Lord did not journey in a leisurely manner, but purposefully. From this we should learn to labor diligently and attentively to God’s work.
From Blessed Theophylact, The Explanation of the Holy Gospel According to John, Chrysostom Press, 2007
Acts 11:19-26, 29-30
But some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they were entered into Antioch, spoke also to the Greeks, preaching the Lord Jesus.
And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believing, were converted to the Lord.
+The Holy Cyril (869) and Methodius (886), Teachers of the Slavs and equals to the Apostles, May 11
St. Cyril continued: “Christ our God commands us to pray to God for those who persecute us and even to do good to them, but He also said to us, Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13). That is why we bear the insults that our enemies cast at us individually and why we pray to God for them. However, as a society, we defend one another and lay down our lives, so that you [the Saracens] would not enslave our brethren, would not enslave their souls with their bodies, and would not destroy them in both body and soul.”
From St. Nikolai Velimorovic, The Prologue of Ohrid, Volume One, (Sebastian Press, Western American Diocese, 2008)
