By Sr. Doreen, SSJD
Living Water of salvation, be the fountain of each soul;
Springing up in new creation, flow in us and make us whole, flow in us and make us whole.
As we move into Lent this year, I have been pondering one of Marty Haugen’s hymns called “Tree of Life”. Each week in Lent I thought I would share a meditation on one of the 5 Sunday Lenten final stanzas that can be added to his hymn.
I thought perhaps it would be helpful to put these stanzas into context by sharing Marty’s whole hymn and so I have printed it below:
Tree of Life and awesome mystery, in your death we are reborn; though you die in all of history, still you rise with every morn, still your rise with every morn.
Seed that dies to rise in glory, may we see ourselves in you; if we learn to live your story we may die to rise anew, we may die to rise anew.
We remember truth once spoken, love passed on through act and word; every person lost and broken wears the body of our Lord, wears the body of our Lord.
Gentle Jesus, mighty Spirit, come inflame our hearts anew. We may all your joy inherit if we bear the cross with you, if we bear the cross with you
Christ, you lead and we shall follow, stumbling though our steps may be; one with you in joy and sorrow, we the river you the sea, we the river you the sea.
Light of life beyond conceiving mighty Spirit of our Lord; give new strength to our believing, give us faith to live your word, give us faith to live your word.
So today, the stanza added to the hymn for the third Sunday in Lent:
Living Water of salvation, be the fountain of each soul;
Springing up in new creation, flow in us and make us whole, flow in us and make us whole.
“If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”(John 7:38)
One of my favourite places to sit and ponder is at the Berczy Park in downtown Toronto – and I have used one of the pictures I have taken of the fountain in that park for this reflection. It is a wonderful sculpture of many different sizes and breeds of dogs (and one cat) – used as fountains … out of their mouths comes fountains of water. Sitting in this park has provided hours of visio divina (a prayer practice similar to Lectio Divina, only the object for meditation is not God’s Word but an image or a picture, to encounter God’s presence in what we see) on the scripture passage from the gospel according to John. Sitting and pondering the dog fountain, I have felt myself growing close to Jesus, an ever-flowing fountain offering me water, and I experience it as such a gracious gift offered so freely that it fills me with joy!
It reminds me of one of the words spoken by Jesus from the Cross – “I thirst” – I believe that it was a word that not only expressed the physical thirst Jesus felt but also the deep love and longing, the thirst for you and for me – that invitation for us to come to Jesus, all of us thirsty folks longing for fullness of life. Jesus thirsts for us to come and make our home in Jesus. It is a thirst for us to become one of Jesus’ trusted friends, to know Jesus’ unconditional love and compassion, to leave our burdens, our loneliness, our weariness and find ourselves wrapped in the refreshment of that living water, that ever-flowing fountain of God’s spirit in our lives.
And like that ‘dog fountain’ – so many different breeds and sizes of dogs, they mirror all of us – this whole world of people and of creation itself, of different sizes, different ethnic groups, different faiths, different lifestyles – we are all different and unique. I believe that it is God desiring all of us to be, like the dogs, fountains of living water for each other. We need each other, we are all one in God’s love and heart, all precious in God’s sight – and though we come from many different places and journeys: there is a oneness in our common humanity.
Pondering, visio divina leads to the second part of the scripture passage, that if I come to that Fountain of Living Water then out of my heart, … “out of my believer’s heart will flow rivers of living waters”. As I looked at the ‘dog fountain’ I thought what better things could I desire to come out of my heart! That fountain was not just a drop or a puddle, but it was a fountain that was unstoppable. Rivers of living waters – purposeful, powerful, flowing, creative, persevering … could I be like that? I want to be like that!
One of the beautiful and helpful images of attitude towards life that comes from Taoism is the Watercourse Way … the readiness to go consciously and willingly with the flow of life … that there is a direction and a goal, that we entrust ourselves to this not like a drifter but like a swimmer.
To be the hands and feet of God, so that streams of living water, streams of living justice flow down upon the land, upon the world, causing currents of God’s spirit and bringing that liberating reconciliation and joy that is so needed in our broken world today.
I share a song poem called “All Who Thirst for Living Water”
All who thirst for living water, all who hunger for good bread,
There’s a table in the desert, come and share the feast that’s spread.
Celebrating earth’s abundance, gathering hope for days to come,
we with those who’ve gone before us give you thanks, O Holy One.
Everlasting is the covenant which the Holy One designs,
Steadfast love a gushing river, seeds with grace the healing vines;
Seeking life in all its fullness for all creatures, none denied,
set our hearts to meet each other, bridging all that sin divides.
Many are the ways you’ve chosen to reveal the path of life,
wisdom’s truth for all who seek you, cross our compass, faith our guide;
you the strength in all our wandering, spring that wells up deep within,
friend who bears both pain and glory, in your light new life begins.
Words by
Barbara Liotscos, Copyright © 2007 by Common Cup Music Society
Barbara’s comments about this poem song: Reconciliation and covenant are foundational for our faith community and its mission. This song draws on biblical stories and images to gather the community in remembering with thanksgiving and hope.
