Gracious, loving Creator God,
thank you for the gift of water that gives us life,
quenches our thirst, and sustains our farmlands and gardens.
You bless us with streams, rivers, and oceans
to feed us, refresh us, and enthrall us with the bounty of aquatic life.
Give us the wisdom to appreciate that water is a precious gift.
Pardon us for our failures in not using the gift of water properly.
May we retain and act on what we have learned…
and pass it on to future generations.
and pass it on to future generations.
We ask these prayers through Jesus Christ, Our Lord.
Amen.
Amen.
“A World to Care For”
(Excerpts from Fr. Ed Ciuba’s
“Creation at the Crossroads”)
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“Creation at the Crossroads”)
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Water is the natural resource most frequently referred to in the Bible – more than 500 times. The semi-arid environment of the biblical world is a partial explanation for this frequency. However, the connection between water and life is a theme that threads its way through both the Old and New Testaments and in religious literature all over the world… Isaiah 35:1-8, speaks of the regenerating and life-giving aspects of water in the desert. The streams bursting forth in the desert and the burning sands transformed into pools of water are symbols of new beginnings. Such signs will accompany those on the “highway called the holy way”. The abundance of flowers, the new strength received by the weak and feeble, the healing of the blind and the deaf, the thirsty ground springing into new watery life are all indicators of a new age. To those who are forlorn, discouraged, and looking forward to a “new creation,” these signs foreshadow the presence once again of the Creator God, the source of life.
The world’s major religions all reverence water for its cleansing and life-sustaining qualities. In the gospel story (Jn 4:1-42), the well, the water jar, and the woman herself who, like her neighbors, must draw from the well every day in order to live, all symbolize the indispensable role of water. In the Catholic tradition, water is significant as a sign or symbol, especially in the sacrament of baptism. At the Easter Vigil, water is blessed in larger quantities and used throughout the year for holy water fonts and for the celebration of baptism. At the Easter vigil, adults who have been prepared for entry into the Christian community are often baptized by immersion and welcomed by the entire parish community. The waters of baptism, followed by the sacraments of confirmation and the Eucharist, are the ritual signs of transformation into the new life in Christ. The words and gestures of this rite of acceptance give full meaning to the words of Jesus, “Whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give shall become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (J 4:14-15).
Pope Francis, in speaking of the material universe as an expression of God’s love and boundless affection for us, describes water as a “caress of God”. We are called through awareness, education, and commitment to protect this precious and limited resource. May we pass on this expression of God’s love to future generations.
How do water shortages affect the poor and vulnerable?
Begin a campaign in your parish or communities to support such organizations to provide access to clean water and sanitation for our brothers and sisters who have no access to them.
