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Lenten Reflections 2023 Week 1

February 26 2023

Water for Those Who Thirst

READINGS:
Gn 2:7-9; 3:1-7, Ps 51:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 17, Rom 5:12-19, Mt 4:1-11

Reflection:

In today’s gospel of Matthew 4:2-3, “Jesus prepared for the test by fasting forty days and forty nights.” That left him, of course, in a state of extreme hunger and thirst. When Jesus welcomed into heaven those who gave drink to anyone thirsty (Mt. 34-46) he knew what he was speaking about! As people of faith we respond to Jesus’ suffering and death as well as the suffering and death within creation.

“One particularly serious problem is the quality of water available to the poor…” Pope Francis, Laudato Si’, ch. 1, #29. Water is vital to creation, just as it was in the Garden of Paradise. Water shapes the land, drives climate, and weather, and provides majesty and energy.

“We praise you Lord for Sister Water, so useful, humble, precious, and pure.”- St. Francis of Assisi.
Resources used: Sisters of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus, posted at https://ecospiritualityresources.com/

Prayer:

Creator God, may your love, like water, pour over our thirsty spirits, cleansing, refreshing, and renewing us this Lent. During this season of Lent, let us remember those longing for a drink of clear water and those suffering from too much water. Help us become more mindful of water. May drinking it unite us with the intercommunion of creation. Amen.

Action:

This Lent consider using water with a greater awareness and reverence when showering, washing dishes and clothes, brushing teeth, watering gardens, and entering and leaving church. Be mindful of how you could conserve this precious resource.