In today’s scripture readings the theme of “Living Water” appears in several contexts.

 The first reading from Exodus, conveys the Israelites journey through the desert and crying out because of their thirst. The Lord commands Moses to stand in front of the rock in Horeb, “strike the rock, and the water will flow from it for the people to drink.” 

John’s Gospel narrates Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus speaks with her for a while and she is deeply touched by this casual but transforming conversation. Their dialogue leads to a conversation around thirst, thirst for living water. Jesus says: “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again: but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst, the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 

The theme of ‘Living Water’ is fitting during the Lenten season.  “Living Water” highlights the spiritual need within humans and the ability of God to quench that thirst.  Drinking from the “Living Water” is believed to lead to a transformation of the believer’s life, allowing them to experience God’s grace and power.  Jesus wanted to satiate the thirst that the Samaritan woman was feeling in her soul. As He spoke to her, and she experienced His gentleness and acceptance, that thirst began to be quenched. 

Like the Israelites in the desert, or the Samaritan Woman, we discover young people with a deep thirst for God, or, a spiritual encounter which offers them a purpose, meaning, and a calling in life.  Research indicates the search takes many forms, and approaches. In an era marked by fear, alienation, insecurity, uncertainty, and pervasive anxiety, contemplative practices provide young people with an opportunity to encounter the transformative experience of being God’s beloved. This direct encounter nurtures a profound sense of hope and belonging, making a better world possible. By practicing and teaching a contemplative way of our Christian faith, we pass on hope for the future, rooted in the assurance that love prevails.

As we thirst for “Living Water” during the Lenten Season, let us strive to nurture a deep contemplative life of prayer enabling us both to quench our thirst, and share the “Living Water” with others.