You people worship what you do not understand; 
we worship what we understand, because salvation is from the Jews.

These can seem like harsh words coming from our Lord, and maybe even shocking.  It may even be, in this exchange with the woman at the well, that you have thought it was here saying this to Jesus.  Yet in all of his words that may strike as being harsh, there is a real beauty, and especially if we think in today’s context of the Catholic Church and Protestant churches.

What does it mean that the woman worships what she doesn’t understand?  The important thing, and this is what Jesus’ exchange with the woman clearly highlights, is that he recognizes the goodness of what she, and the other Samaritans worship.  He recognizes that they do worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  At no point does he accuse her or them of following other gods.  But at the same time, there are some significant differences: the place of worship, whether on a mountain or in Jerusalem is not a small difference.  For the Jews, while there were many synagogues of prayer, there was only one Temple where the sacrifices and sin offerings could be made, and that was in Jerusalem, which was also the place of the Holy of Holies, the only place of God’s dwelling in earth.  They were clearly separate from the Jews.  

But at the same time, she confirms their belief in the promised Messiah, and the entire encounter highlights her recognition, one who was not a Jew, that Jesus was indeed the Christ, and that he was the source of true living water.

He affirms that she worships the One True God, but does not understand.  And the worshipping of God is what is most important, understanding can come later.

In the context of our modern world and most especially the relationship between the Catholic Church and many Protestant churches, we can say the same thing: You worship what you do not understand, we worship what we understand.

This does not mean that every Catholic understands everything that we do, and is not meant to place Catholics above other Christians—lest we forget the Jews who crucified our Lord.  And again, the woman is rewarded for her faith.

It is possible to worship without understanding, but it remains far better to understand.  Worship alone is about recognizing the true God, understanding allows active participation and experiencing him.  This is not about right or wrong; same God or different God.  All who follow Christ follow the One who saves; but it is about depth and closeness.  There is a difference between understanding and not understanding—  as Jesus affirmed that salvation came through the Jews, so today we say salvation comes through the Church.