Lent: Living Water

I refused to drink water growing up.  I didn’t like the taste.  “Water doesn’t have a taste!”  But it does!  At least it did to me.  Until about a week ago, I never drank water unless I was forced to (getting a drink from the water fountain after gym class, having it as the only option at dinner when I was a guest, etc.).  How did I live?  Anyone who knows me well knows my addiction to Coca-Cola.  I guess that has enough water in it to keep me surviving.  But to think of ALL the sugar in pop (yeah, I occasionally call it that now, thank you Midwest) and other sugary drinks I would rely on is quite nasty.

This year has been about learning and trying new things.  It came in regards to food (cooking for the first time – and for other people, and trying new foods), jobs (first actual teaching job), personally (trying to make friends in a new place), emotionally (learning how to cope with separation from friends and family), and spiritually.

With that being said, I feel like this is the first liturgical calendar year I am experiencing as a Catholic.  Well, I was always Catholic, but this is the first year I am able to be open to growing spiritually and practicing my faith. It started with Advent.  I was able to prepare spiritually all season long and it completely changed my outlook on Christmas and the whole Christmas hubbub. 

Now it’s time for Lent.  I got excited for Ash Wednesday (really cool article, thanks Alex!) and the meaning behind it all.  I was able to help distribute ashes during the school mass (which was open to the community as well).  With the help of our 8^th Graders last Friday, we were able to see the shadowed silhouettes of the Stations of the Cross.  It was beautiful.  The dedication of the 8^th graders, being still in the shadowy scenes, reading the Station descriptions, singing and playing songs on all sorts of instruments, and reading reflections of how we can translate each station into our lives.  I was able to give a heartfelt response of “because by Your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world." I hope that Lent will prepare me to see Easter in a whole new light.

St. Pius V School's Stations of the Cross
Photo: Me

I freaked out about giving something up.  In the past I always said I will do something good.  I will change how I act to better myself.  It was probably the easier choice back then – less accountability.  This year I didn’t want to settle. I wanted my Lenten promise to MEAN something.  I realized yesterday that I was doing something already. 

It all started with going to the doctor for my usual post-nasal drip about a week ago.  She called it an upper repertory infection and pretty much told me it will take about 10 days to go through my system and that I should eat well, get lots of rest and drink lots of water.  She suggested 2 liters a day.  I thought, oh crap.  I don’t drink any water.  I should probably give this a shot. 

 So I started filling a water bottle and bringing it to school.  I would try to drink a whole glass when taking my cold and flu over the counter medicine.  This wasn’t so bad.  I wasn’t dying from the taste of water and it was actually sustaining me.  Yeah, I would drink soda occasionally, but I was doing pretty well. 

Now I didn’t want to just give something up.  “I’m drinking more water and drinking less soda for Lent” just didn’t mean much to me.  Yeah, we give up things that mean a lot to us in order to recognize that Jesus gave up his life to wipe away our sins (I don’t mean to trivialize this, that’s HUGE).  I was reading the “black book” that my roommate Stephanie had procured for me and it talked about the baptism of Jesus by John and it discussed water.  And yesterday’s mass talked about the Water of Life and how it sustains us. 

It all clicked.  As I am drinking more water throughout the day, I find myself thinking about the waters of baptism, the water of life, and my faith that sustains me.  I had had a problem with being mindful of God’s presence in my everyday life.  This may be my answer to this problem.  Every time I take a sip of water, I can use that moment to reflect on the wonderful gift God has given us through Jesus Christ. 

Christ of the Abyss, Key Largo, FL
Photo: Serge Malki

Water is so powerful.  It can cleanse, renew, cause growth in plants and trees, make a beautiful rainbow in the sky, make the morning dew that sparkles in the sunrise, create condensation on the outside of a glass, be the sign of baptism, come out in tears of sorrow and joy, rain down from the heavens, provide the center for a village, bust out of a hydrant for children to dance in, amaze us in its power in waterfalls and dams, be the holy water that we bless ourselves with as we enter or leave a church, be waves that we surf or swim in, refresh us after strenuous work, pour out of us as we labor under the sun, show us our reflection as we look over a lake, and so much more.

Rainbow
Photo: Nigel Howe

I also want to remember that there are so many people in this world that do not have access to potable water.  This sickens me.  It should be a plentiful resource, but sadly that is not the case. (Thanks to your commitment to solidarity with those less fortunate, Becky.  You truly inspire me).

My Lenten promise is to let water sustain me for 40 days and 40 nights, remembering along the way that my Baptism was a turning point in my life, and that Jesus Christ is my eternal water sustaining me.

Sculpture of Jesus Christ crucified, in sand, on Puerto Vallarta beach, Mexico
Picture: Wonderlane