Living Water

Is the Lord in our midst or not?

Like the Israelites at Meribah,

When we look at the world around us, we might be tempted to wonder.

But in looking, it’s amazing how much good we can overlook.

How we can fail to appreciate all the good around us.

We become accustomed to so much, we feel entitled to so much.

We should be constantly aware and constantly thankful for what we have.

But we’re not, we take it for granted.

Our hearts are so easily hardened.

Our Scripture readings today all touch on water—natural and supernatural.

We all need water.

In just a few days without water, we die.

A third of the world’s people face a daily ordeal

To get safe, clean drinking water.

That’s over 2 billion people.

The other day I saw a video about a device that collects water from the air.

It operates on wind-power and was developed at UC Berkeley.  

It’s a tall plastic pipe, about 10-feet tall, 

With a metal-lined tank at the bottom.

Kind of like a sapling with the burlap-wrapped root ball at the bottom.

And you plant it, like you would plant a tree, but deeper, about 6 feet deep.

Air motion and a little breeze-powered turbine at the top

Push air down the pipe.

And when the air reaches the cool underground chamber

Condensation draws out the moisture and fills the tank.

It has a hose and manual pump to draw the water up from the tank.

A unit costs just $70, 

And can produce up to 11 gallons of clean water every day.

Of course, the people who need them most don’t have $70.

But people with money—like us—can help.

The Peace Corps plans to distribute them 

To areas where they’re badly needed.

They can be “planted” just steps away from a family’s home or hut.

Saving women many hours of labor every day.

Hours of carrying heavy buckets of water for miles.

From wells and pools that are often contaminated.

Maybe saving some of the 18,000 lives now lost each day

From lack of safe drinking water.

When’s the last time we gave thanks

For our abundant, safe, life-sustaining water?

Ours for just a penny a gallon and a twist of the faucet.

Surely the Lord is in our midst today, blessing us with this abundant gift.

Guiding us, and giving us the resources—the technology and the dollars—

To find ample clean, safe, natural water for ourselves.

And guiding us in ways to help others throughout the world.

Just as he was there with Moses at Meribah,

Enabling him to draw water from a rock.

He’s also with us now.

Enabling us to draw water from thin air.

And surely, he’s also with us, 

As he was with the Samaritan woman at the well.

Offering assurance that he is indeed the Messiah, the Christ, the Savior.

And offering living water.

There was natural, physical water to be drawn from Jacob’s well

Just as there had been from the rock at Meribah.

But both of those encounters foreshadowed something even greater.

The living water that Jesus promised.

The supernatural, spiritual water that was to come.

Water that would sustain our spiritual life 

And leave us never thirsting again.

Water that would become in us a spring of water, welling up to eternal life.

And Jesus delivered on his promise.

After his death and resurrection, he left us, to return to the Father.

But he didn’t leave us empty and alone.

He filled us with the living water.

As we heard in Paul’s letter to the Romans.

The love of God has been poured out into our hearts
Through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

The living water that Jesus gives, is himself through his Holy Spirit.

The Spirit that now dwells among us and within us.

Clearly the Lord is in our midst today.

At Baptism, we use natural water as a symbol of that spiritual, living water.

It’s that spiritual, living water within that cleanses us,

Gives us spiritual growth and sustains our spiritual life.

Baptism formally marks the beginning 

Of the life of the Holy Spirit within us.

Today, we can dip our fingers into the baptismal font and bless ourselves.

The holy water in the font reminds us of that living water, 

That spiritual water.

We have that symbolism.

But more than that, we have the true living water.

The Spirit dwelling and welling up within us.

Guiding us, calling us.

Urging us to help cure the problems of this world.

To help build the Kingdom of God on Earth.

Is the Lord in our midst or not?

Clearly, he is.

Oh that today we would heed his voice!

3rd Sunday of Lent

Jn 4:5-42   Read this Scripture @usccb.org

We Pledge ...

Old Values:  1917 WWI

We’re just a week into Lent now.

But we've already heard a lot about the three key activities of Lent.

Prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

A number of our Gospel readings have set out Jesus’ guidance on prayer.

Don’t make a public show of it to draw attention to ourselves.

But go into our rooms and pray in secret.

Clearly, he approves of our praying here in public at Mass—

We’re not doing it to draw attention to ourselves.

But he really does want us to pray in private as well.

Today Jesus adds some further guidance on prayer.

Don't babble like the pagans.

Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Don't just babble-on with the prayers at Mass.

We should hear the words we say, think about the words we say.

Listen carefully to the words that are said for us and to us.

Take in the full ideas that all those words combine to express.  

And the same is true of our private prayer.

Don't babble-on. 

Don’t just talk.  

Listen.  Listen carefully.

What is God saying to me?

What word is coming forth—specially for me—from the mouth of God?

Last week we heard Jesus elaborate on today’s message.

Don’t worry about what you are to eat or drink or wear.

All these things the pagans seek.
Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,
And all these things will be given you besides.

Given our guidance not to babble-on with our petitions.

Given our assurance that God already knows what we need.

It might seem a little strange that, when asked how we should pray,

Jesus gives us a list of seven petitions to recite.

But when we look closely, 

We see that these are not your typical pagan petitions.

These are finely tailored.

Directly focused on that higher goal Jesus set for us.

Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness.

And so, we do petition our Father.

And, implicit with our petition,

We also pledge our cooperation.

As we pray:

Draw everyone to know You and to reverence Your name.

Transform our world into Your kingdom.

Lead everyone to do Your will.

Give everyone their basic daily needs.

Forgive us, and give us a world where everyone forgives.

Give us the strength we need to avoid temptation.

And be our protection against all evil.

This is what we ask.
This is what we pledge.

As we seek first the Kingdom of God.

Tuesday, First Week of Lent

Mt 6:7-15   Read this Scripture @usccb.org