In the encounter with the man born blind, Jesus reveals Himself as the Light of the World, as the One who brings us into the light of life. Physical healing is a symbol of inner healing that awakens the heart and mind to faith in Jesus.

In her encounter with Jesus, the Samaritan woman recovers the sense and the reason to live. This is the grace we seek as we enter into this narrative: to know the gift of God, which Jesus has to offer to those who encounter Him.

In Nicodemus’ dialogue with Jesus, we recognize the beauty of the encounter. But we also see how the dialogue can be derailed by parallel paths and abort the encounter. Our encounter with Christ can be left half-way and His grace ends up hostage of our ambiguities.

A text of John’s Gospel gives us the description of the first meeting of two disciples with Jesus. It is a classic, a must-read at the beginning of this series of meetings with Jesus and reflections on the missionary vocation as a place of encounter.