Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Today’s readings are all about healing water – and therefore set us up for deep reflection about Baptism, our own and celebrating with those entering the church in just 3 weeks.
The water Ezekiel wades in is abundant and life-giving. “Wherever the water flows, every sort of living creature that can multiply shall live.” The trees there bear fruit continuously (miraculously!) and provide medicine with their leaves. And the pool of Bethesda where Jesus encounters the man crippled from birth is a place of healing. In the end though, it isn’t the water that heals but Jesus himself. And that is the point of Baptism, to be immersed in the life (and death) of Jesus. That brings life and healing, which all of us need in such challenging times. Then we can be sources of life for others as well. In these next three weeks, as we approach the Triduum, let us be reminded by the waters we encounter – the spring rains (even the storms), the rivers and ponds around our city, the fonts as we enter our chapels and churches, and the water we drink each day – that we are invited to immerse ourselves in the life of our Lord. And then respond to the call to transmit that life to others.
—Sr. Laura Leming, FMI