March 17/Second Thursday of Lent
He is like a tree planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season, and whose leaves never fade. ~ Ps 1.3
My husband has remarked more than once that the surest way to kill a plant is to put it under my care. He has a point. I have lost count of the number of times he has asked, “Did you water the (amaryllis/orchid/birthday arrangement/herbs in the garden)?” and I sheepishly reply in the negative. Every known form of life depends upon H2O, that miraculous blend of two parts hydrogen to one part oxygen. It enables our metabolism, fosters photosynthesis, and even powers our civilizations, many of which have grown and flourished in part because they were next to bodies of water. Deprived of water, we become parched, withered, weak. Filled with it, we have energy, vitality, and strength. Our psalmist today dwells on the sustenance that the living water of God’s word provides. The believer who follows God’s law of love plants himself near the flowing river of the life of faith, a river that will never run dry. If we, like the psalmist, set down our spiritual roots near the ever-moving, always-sustaining water of life in God, we will flourish. Rooting ourselves in daily prayer and reflection, making time to sit on that metaphorical riverbank and listen for God, seeking in all we do to please him: these are ways in which we can forge and sustain a connection to the living water. And if we allow our roots to stretch out towards the abundant stream of his love, we will grow to be all that God wants us to be, and we will become fruitful bearers of his love and mercy.
Almighty God, Lead me to your life-giving water, and grant that I may remain there always. Amen.
For today’s readings, click here: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/031722.cfm
To hear Mississippi John Hurt sing “I Shall Not Be Moved,” click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLc8YeXP8FY
