Eucharistic Meditations - Water

Lord, the water flowing from your pierced side reveals the deep significance of water in our lives. Out of the primal chaotic waters your Spirit brought forth a rich variety of life. When abundantly watered, the earth is eminently productive; deprived of water it cracks open, crying out for rain. Besides producing life, water also sustains it: cool water refreshes all living creatures all through the hot dry summer. Similarly, we cannot do without you, Lord - the source and sustenance of our lives: 'like a dry weary land without water, my soul thirsts for you.' Water further cleanses us of physical dirt. In the Sacraments it is a symbol of spiritual purification. In fact, the waters of Baptism totally re-fashion us as your children. With Jesus we rise to a new way of life - we now break of ourselves and live for others.

Water slakes our thirst not just physically, but much more spiritually, when your Spirit interprets God's Word for us making it a spring of living water welling up within our hearts. The more we respond to your Spirit, the more we are nourished by the Word; neglect leads to a famine of the Word, as Amos declared.

Water not only creates, it re-creates. The flood waters in Noah's day effected a new beginning: a person with a new heart of flesh replacing the heart of stone. Moses crossing the Reed Sea generated a new people through the Covenant at Sinai. The water gushing out of the rock symbolizes the salvation you offer - when accepted in obedience it is life-giving, else it brings death. The crossing of the stilled Jordan confirmed them in the Promised Land as your chosen people. During the exile, water became the symbol of your abundant redemption: 'like streams in dry land … peace, prosperity shall flow like a river…' nothing is impossible for you - even barren deserts become pools of fresh water. But your baptism by John in the flowing waters of the same Jordan, crowns it all, giving birth to the Body of Christ, the Church. You synthesized everything saying: 'If any man is thirsty let him come to me! Let the person who believes in me come and drink.'

The water poured into the Cup of wine at Eucharist symbolizes our union with you, Lord; it expresses our readiness to share in the movement of your dying-rising and continue your saving work on earth. It brings to mind a tree planted beside flowing waters which produces fruit in plenty and is not harmed by even prolonged drought. Rooted in you, Lord, we too become abundantly fruitful, bearing plentifully the kind of fruit that lasts.

Lord, teach us to put our entire selves into the few drops of water that get absorbed into the wine - enable us to live like you, a new life, the life of God's own beloved. Even our hardened hearts, so turned in on themselves, can become other-centred - broken, given for the life of a new world.