Water is an essential element for life. It helps digest food and to absorb nutrients, move our bodies well, get rid of waste products and keep our body at the right temperature. There are many functions and benefits found in water that can also help with everyday living: it can help produce electricity and potentially serves as a kind of fuel for powering motor vehicles. We are still discovering how versatile the use of water can be!

From everyday uses, water is a also symbol for many faith traditions. One of the largest religious rituals in the world is the Hindu Kumbha mela festival. Millions partake in this festival. For many people they believe it is a sign of prosperity and good fortune.  Believers and non-believers value water based on its meaning and what it represents.

The Old Testament story is largely affected by water. From the flood, in the story of Noah, to the story of Moses, when the Israelites were saved by the parting of the sea to escape danger from inland to the very threat of dehydration when their thirst was satisfied with water flowing from the rock. While devastation can be caused by water it is intended to give life and sustain life just as God gives us life and sustains it.

Water is an essential symbol of Christian life. It acts as a precursor for the symbol of baptism. During Lent the Church gives us the option of using gospel readings from the Year A lectionary for Sundays in Lent. These gospels are of major importance in regard to Christian initiation. The Year A readings are particularly appropriate where there are Elect (Catechumens). In parishes where there are Elect (Catechumens), the three Scrutiny rites are celebrated on different weeks for those who are part of the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA). The First Scrutiny is held this Sunday at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Wattle Park, the passage about Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman will be read.

People receiving baptism, which means to plunge, are submerged in water as a sign to leave their old self behind and re-emerge as a new person. The person lives now as another Christ in the world. Baptism for adults in particular is a journey of faith that was sparked or splashed by a certain moment or series of events and encounters. Through these lived experiences the question of faith in Jesus is explored. The story of the woman at the well is a question of faith that was initiated and led by the Spirit to deeper faith. Jesus’s encounter with the woman at the well turned her understanding of water from everyday use to the seeing the sacred water that is Christ himself. Christ shares himself with all people no matter their history or past failings, reputation in society, place of origin. The woman expresses her new life by returning to the very people who were hostile to her and shares with them what she received.

By Fr Hoang Dinh

Published: 1 March 2024