Reading and meditation on the Word of God on Tuesday of the fourth week of Lent, March 17th, 2026

Delivered by Elyanne from the Parish of Saint James in the Diocese of Surabaya, Indonesia. Ezekiel 47: 1-9.12; Rs psalm 46: 2-3.5-6.8-9; John 5: 1-3a.5-16.WATER OF SALVATION Our meditation today isentitled: Water of Salvation. There are so many benefits of water for us humansand the world. Of all its benefits, what meant by the term "water ofsalvation " seems to be an abstract expression. The term "holywater", or "clean water", or "mineral water" is aconcrete expression and we immediately understand what it means. For example,the "baptismal water", we refer this to a form of water to signifythe Lord Jesus who uses water through the ministry of the Church to baptizepeople who have opted to be part of the Church.  So the term"water of salvation" should have certain reference which is concreteto our minds. For us in the Church, the water of salvation does refer to thephysical water which is an instrument that God uses to help His people in thejourney of salvation. The scriptures present many events in the salvationhistory to highlight the deliverance of God's people through water. Forexample, the Israelites crossed the Red Sea in order to escaped from the pursuitof the Egyptian armies. Both liturgical readings today also describe water asan instrument of salvation. The prophet Ezekieltells of the vision of water flowing in the temple. Wherever it flows,everything touched by it and the whole area become alive. This implies thatwhen there is nowhere to find any water, life must be so difficult or deathwill be the end of everything. In the pool of Bethesda, the water was veryinstrumental for healing the sick. They rushed over and were touched by thewater when it began to shake, they would recover. From these two descriptions ofevents we see that water as an instrument is a real physical element. Whereasthe power of the Lord to heal and save is actually hidden. This power works inand through the water. But in the pool ofBethesda, the hidden mystery reveals itself. The sick man who had been sufferedfor thirty-eight years was touched directly by the Lord who was actuallypresent and active behind the water. The sick man recovered instantly. Thewater of salvation displayed by the two readings today teaches us how importantboth aspects of physical and spiritual water are to us. To sustain our life inthis world, the physical water is obviously very important. If there is nowater we will die like the barren and dry land. The spiritual power and itsmeaning represented by the physical reality of water is that of the order andbalance of nature already designed by God for the good and salvation ofhumanity. Water of baptismalsacrament and as a sacramental element that we normally use in the holytradition of the Church, is a clean and healthy physical water, it isconsecrated for the purpose of our spiritual services in the Church. Themeaning behind this consecrated water is no other than God himself who worksthrough His ministers to impart graces, healing, and divine assistance to thepeople of God.   Let's pray. In the name of the Father... O generous and merciful Lord, make us like water that provides freshness,calmness, and healing for ourselves who need physical-spiritual healing, andfor our neighbors who are currently suffering from their illness. Our Fatherwho art in heaven ... In the name of the Father ...