But no less importantly, this Gospel not only reveals who Jesus is, it also serves to place us in personal communion with him, the Messiah, who in these inspired words continues to carry out his mission of teaching us all things that lead to our salvation and our true fulfillment. Here and now we can meet the same Lord who spoke these life-giving words to the Samaritan woman and allow his presence to heal and sanctify us if we but choose to welcome him as our Savior. By the fact of giving credence to his teaching and inviting him into the depths of our heart, we carry out in practice precisely what Jesus taught this woman: to make our lives, our very self over to him in faith and trust. This self-surrender is what it means to worship God the Father in spirit and in truth. There is no other way to full and eternal life.

It is for this reason that the Gospel we have just heard is proclaimed on the Feast of the Dedication of our Diocesan Cathedral. For the glorified person of our Lord in all levels of his being- body, soul and divine Spirit- has become the true temple where God meets us, receives the service of our worship and unites us with himself by the bond of his loving Spirit. It is this holy mystery of our common union with Christ and in him, the divine-human mystery that gives purpose and surpassing significance to our life. This is what we celebrate in the liturgy today.&