The Power of Water
It is odorless, tasteless, colorless, and transparent. It provides no calories or organic nutrient. Yet it’s vital for all known forms of life.
Water. There is nothing more important in this world.
The human body is made up of nearly 60% water—there is 75% water in the brain. Water covers 71% of the Earth’s surface. It’s used for cleaning, agriculture, heating, cooling, transportation, recreation, and healing.
We don’t often ponder the importance of water. We don’t consider how significant it is in our lives and our world. In fact, we often times don’t even think about water.
The same can be said about the role of water in our faith.
Think about water in the Bible: Noah and the Ark, Moses and the Red Sea, Jesus and the wedding at Cana, Jesus walking on water…the list goes on.
And now think about water in the Mass. It’s the first thing we encounter when we enter the church. Yet, our gestures often become robotic: we dip our fingers into holy water and we make the sign of the cross. Then we take our place in our seats without second thought.
If we stop and pay attention to our actions, and we listen to words each Sunday, we realize that this water has incredible power.
Each time we dip our fingers into Holy Water, we should be reminded of our baptism and our place in the church.
“Jesus answered, “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.”-John 3:5
The next time you enter the church, take some time to reflect when you dip your fingers in the holy water. Think about what it means. Think about your baptism and your role in the church.
Think about the power of water.
