Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman was a favorite gospel episode of Saint Teresa of Avila (+1582). Saint Teresa learned to pray by asking Jesus to give her living water, repeatedly begging our blessed Lord to give her the water that he had offer the Samaritan woman.

For Saint Teresa, prayer is drinking from a fountain of water that quenches our thirst while fueling within us an even greater desire to return again and again to the source.