We take it for granted, we have more than enough, Great Lakes, Finger Lakes, streams and rivers all around we have more than enough. I am sensitive to water, truth is we DO NOT have more than enough. We know well the developing shortage of water in the west. Even the snow and rain of this current season will not refill Lake Mead or the Colorado River servicing millions of persons and homes throughout the west. Even here in Rochester with lakes and rivers aplenty we are below normal rainfall and snow fall. Without water we will not survive. That is even more painfully true in other parts of the earth. More brothers and sisters than we can imagine live with the threat of drought and loss of available water.

Our scripture today reminds us of both the day to day reality and more. The Exodus text opens: “In those days, in their thirst for water, the people grumbled…”. Their thirst here is an immediate bodily need. The text and the gospel of Jesus with the woman at the well speaks to our soul deep thirst. Water here images our journey of relationship with God. We long for connections, we thirst for relationship, for assurance of God present and with us.

Sacramentally it all starts with water, Baptized in water we are brought to life in the spirit, brought to life in relationship eternal with God in the waters of Baptism. We are first brought to life in the waters of our mother’s womb. From the first moment and until the last we are sustained and enabled in life both body and spirit by water.

Our scripture this week invites us to ponder this essential element of creation. We know its refreshing relief on our parched tongue, its warmth and relief on our aching body whether in the shower or the hot tub or cold on our face just awake from a nights sleep. Sit down and have a cup of tea, meet me for coffee or that first sip in the morning helping us meet the new day so many bless-ings water brings. Ponder God immersing us in this bath of relief and promise first in the womb, later in Baptism, day by day in so many ways, given thanks, praise, be amazed by the blessing of God in water. Our scripture today speaks of ‘living water’. It is living and because of it we are living. But, ‘living water’ here is something more. This is an image of our relationship with God and God’s with us. We thirst, no differently than our thirst of cool relief on our tongue, here is a deep longing for not just cool relief but deep sustaining in relationship with God. Living water reminds us that indeed God is alive and moving and effecting us just as the water we take in, the water that washes over us, the water that sustains us.

These days of Lent mean to move and draw us more deeply into relationship with God and God’s love ‘alive’ in us. These days of Lent mean to remind and reassure our faith as we spoke about last week at Mass. Our faith is held and reenforced by the belief that God is alive and moving in our lives always. As I mentioned in last week’s homily ‘life’s difficulties often upend our faith.’ The troubles discourage and derail us, it is our faith that keeps us on track. Faith reenforced by this image of God’s love and rela-tionship with us as water alive and washing over, around and through us always, sustaining, and refreshing. Like the water in our lakes, rivers and oceans we cannot get enough. Like the water from our tap the ‘living water’ of God sustains through every day of life and into eternal life.

JOIN OUR TEAM
Interested in supporting our families and our young parishioners in their growth in our faith.
We are looking for an Assistant for our Faith Formation Program servicing some 300 young people and families across our Faith Formation and Youth Ministry programs.
Call Anne Marie Egan our Director of Faith Formation/Youth Ministry for more information about joining our team.

Have a good week love,