D‍ear Friends,

The encounter of Jesus with the Samaritan woman is not a story we associate with a Christmas message (John 4). Yet this scene has accompanied me throughout Advent, and I do not feel I should set it aside now that Christmas has come. Why?

Over the next two years, the provincials of our Conference will enter a deeper reflection on the mission of the Society of Jesus in Europe. As part of this preparation, I asked several of our Euro-groups to reflect on one question: How does the thirst for God reveal itself in the hearts of people today, across our Conference?

Their responses recognize a paradox that becomes striking every Christmas. Something in its symbolism and message exerts a profound attraction—far beyond the circle of practicing Christians. Christmas is more than an archetypal celebration of light triumphing over winter’s darkness. It has a heart because of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Even without understanding its theological depth, many feel simply drawn to this scene which speaks of communion, warmth, and hope, all glimpsed through the experience of a family confronted with poverty, rejection and uncertainty.

In this way, Christmas becomes an expression of a universal human thirst and a foretaste of its fulfilment—a promise we sense even when we lack the words. The Samaritan woman embodies this longing: her desire is burdened by the past and confused by her present, yet when she meets Jesus, she begins to recognize the One she has always sought.

Our Euro-groups also perceive another sign. Secularism still shapes much of our cultural atmosphere, yet beneath the surface a quiet curiosity about Christianity is re-emerging. It appears in hesitant forms, with motivations that need purification, yet it is sincere. We in the Church have been somewhat caught by surprise to find people seeking Christ precisely in our community with its own struggles. Like the Samaritan woman, we sense that “the well is deep” (John 4:11). We too are thirsty.

This Advent thirst continues into Christmas. Many will not enjoy a glittering holiday; many remain poor, lonely, or fearful amid violence, drones, and missiles. Our mission must insist that spirituality—especially today’s virtual spirituality—becomes effective in love, expressed in commitment, and service. For Christ Himself is thirsty.

 On behalf of the entire Jesuit Conference of European Provincials, I wish you a peaceful Christmas season and a blessed New Year!

Dalibor Renić SJ

JCEP President