Sr. Doreen, SSJD
The Month of May Anglican Church Calendar’s theme: “As scripture has said, ‘Out of the believers’ heart shall flow rivers of living water’ (John 7:38)
“And you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose water’s never fail.” (Isaiah 58: 1-12)
These two scripture passages became the medium for my pondering. As Jesus said to the woman at the well, “If you knew the generosity of God, the gift of God, and who I am, you would be asking me for a drink, and I would give you fresh, living water.” I have often stood at that well, before that ‘I AM’, pondering the generosity of God, and asking for that living water.
Ian Macdonald in a study book called “Living Waters” wrote: “May Jesus Christ who flows like a river through our lives be living water to wash our wounds, living water to quench our thirst, living water to pour for stranger and guest, living water to cleanse and refresh, living water so that enemies will be loved and friends blessed with justice and abundant life.
O deep and sparkling river, flow through us, flow through us, flow through us. Amen”
I began to ask myself, as I stood before the well and the great “I AM”: ‘how often, often enough, do I ask God for that living water’? That water that can wash our wounds, quench our thirst, give us something we can share with stranger and guests, be cleansed and refreshed, and be blessed with and bless others with justice, love, and mercy, and abundant life. Do I ask enough for this gift?
Ian Macdonald’s words brought to life the passage from Isaiah, what would it be like, if we lived as believers, and from our hearts would flow rivers of living waters. The Isaiah passage is one that I found valuable pondering. The passage starts off by telling them to sing and shout for joy, ‘a full-throated shout’ and then begins to outline how while they worship and appear to be a right-living people, they let injustice live and be encouraged amongst them. Then outlined for the people of God is the following: I want you to break the chains of injustice, the exploitation, the oppression and begin feeding the hungry, inviting the homeless poor into your homes, put clothes on the shivering ill-clad, and be available to you own families. It is this that will turn on lights, you will call and be answered ‘I am here’, you will build new things out of the foundations of the past, and you will be like a well-watered garden, a gurgling spring that never runs dry. You will be able to rebuild and renovate, make community livable again.
It seemed to say what is being so clearly felt in our world today: you need to come to terms with what is, to acknowledge and to break and to build anew, and to discover a new sense of your place in the scheme of things. In a world that seems broken and in distress, there is a fundamental sadness and tragedy in almost all situations: in our relationships, our mistakes, our failures large and small, and even in our successes. Somehow, we need to develop a real empathy for this reality, knowing we can’t fix, change, or make things the way we want them. There are real tears in these situations, tears of vulnerability, humility, and empathy, and this is opposed to our normal ways of seeking to control everything. Prophets and mystics have been telling us in their writings that all things have tears and all things deserve tears – that sympathy that wells up in the midst of situations, and when we weep it can be life changing for us – it draws us out of ourselves and into meaningful relationships with those around us.
The underground river within each of us, in times when the external chaos in the world around us is causing internal chaos to rise as well, is an important inner resource that helps us become more conscious, more aware of truth and accountability. Things we might tend to ignore or push under the rug … when faced, when we make those new choices, when we strive to find a new sense of our place in the scheme of things, this can allow that inner water to flow, to heal, to make those new choices, to lay hold of a bit more wholeness.
These passages and my musings seem to be telling me that we need to get ‘wet’, to come alive and bless the earth and everyone in it with the aliveness, the new choices and wholeness, with a vulnerability and compassion – that God-given-gift that can be ours to give. I began to wonder if my rivers, our rivers, were as gentle as an act of courtesy or are they as forceful as an act of courage against powers that shape and dominate our world? Staying close to the Water Source through quiet meditation and prayer we develop the skills and steadiness to go through our own transformative journey, gradually, slowly, becoming our true self. Peter Timmerman a member of the Canadian Forum for Religion and Ecology wrote: “ … we just need to be ‘transformed’, like clouds into rain or ice into water. Spiritual discipline does that. … Meditation is like defrosting your fridge. You have to take everything out, clean it completely of wilted celery and old pizza – the categorical mind. Once ‘empty’ we are free to see how everything is connected, how nothing can be permanently protected from change, and how we may serve simply by being part of the flow.”
And that water is a gurgling flow, not just a trickle or a puddle – but a gurgling flow that never ends.
Macrina Wiederkehr wrote: “You are a dwelling place for the Source of all life.” We are joined with God, our name joins God’s and flows into it, and flows from it, like water, like love. As well watered gardens, we are soaked in God’s love for us. We are in that river of Lover and Beloved, what else can we do but give thanks, rejoice at the power of this gift, and respond – with justice and mercy – this is the public face of God’s love.
A Hymn from “Sing a New Creation” Anglican Church of Canada – #25 From the Waters of Creation
From the waters of creation to shores of Galilee, in each river sweeping onward there’s a promise we can see.
All who search for life in fullness, all who long for dignity: come and drink now – don’t be thirsty. God’s grace ever will flow free.
From the parting of the waters to the Jordan’s ancient side, in the font, forever rising, there’s a love that will abide.
All who yearn for gentle mercy, all who seek community: come and wash now – don’t be lonely. God’s grace ever will flow free.
From the streams that Amos visioned to the pool where Jesus healed, in the wells we build together there’s a dream that is revealed:
We will work for hope and justice; we will live in unity. Come and share now – don’t be fearful. God’s grace ever will flow free.
