The Well of Welcome
The next week, Rosa and Leo found a new object on the Lenten Table: a plain clay cup filled with smooth blue stones.
A sticky note said: “THIRSTY? COME HERE.”
Leo poked a stone. “Why not real water?”
Mom smiled. “Because the cup is teaching us something. Today’s Gospel is about Jesus meeting a woman at a well. He asked her for a drink, and He offered her something even better, living water.”
That afternoon, Rosa and Leo decided to have a “well” in their backyard. They found a big yellow bucket in the garage and tied a rope to the handle. Then they made a sign: “WELL OF WELCOME.”
At first, only their little sister Millie came. “May I have a drink?” she asked, because she loved pretending. Rosa lowered a cup into the bucket and handed it to her. Millie gulped like a camel and giggled.
Soon, Mr. Ortiz from next door walked by with his dog. He looked tired. Leo remembered the note on the Lenten Table: THIRSTY? COME HERE.
“Uh… want some water?” Leo asked.
Mr. Ortiz blinked. He saw that they were pretending, but then said, “That’s kind. Sure.”
Mr. Ortiz told them he’d been moving boxes all day. Rosa listened carefully. Something about listening felt like giving water too.
The next day, a new kid from the neighborhood, Samira, passed their yard. She stared at the WELL OF WELCOME sign like she wasn’t sure she was allowed near it.
Rosa waved. “Hi! Want to help us move the bucket?”
Samira’s shoulders relaxed. She stepped closer and took the rope.
When Samira finally spoke, her voice was small. “At my old school, people were not very friendly,” she said.
Leo felt a pinch in his chest. He pretended to pour water into a cup and held it out.
“You can always come over,” he said. “We’re glad you’re here.”
That night, Dad pointed to the cup of blue stones on the Lenten Table.
“Sometimes our hearts get thirsty,” he said. “Thirsty for friends, for being noticed, for being forgiven. Jesus meets thirsty people and doesn’t push them away.”
Rosa looked at the cup and understood that the best “water” they offered this week wasn’t from the bucket; it was welcome.
From the Lenten Table Series, inspired by John 4:5-42 (The Woman at the Well).
