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Our Precious Sister Water

Next Tuesday, 22 March, is World Water Day.  The focus this year is groundwater – making the invisible visible.  Groundwater is invisible, but its impact is visible everywhere. Out of sight, under our feet, groundwater is a hidden treasure that enriches our lives.  Almost all of the liquid freshwater in the world is groundwater. As climate change gets worse, groundwater will become more and more critical.  We need to work and pray together to sustainably manage this precious resource. Groundwater may be out of sight, but it must not be out of mind.

A few years back, while touring southern Arizona, we were shown a wide dry riverbed. Fifty years earlier a strong deep river had coursed its way over this bed. Overtime, nearby communities developed, dawning off the water.  Now the river now runs 12 feet underground.  Nearby pastures returned to deserts. In our Mt Arrowsmith Biosphere we are blessed with water, with precious wetlands nurturing birds, fish, insects and soaking in carbon from the air.  Many around the world are not blessed as we are, struggling daily to find basic clean drinking water.

From the beginning of creation water was precious. In the thirteenth century St. Francis recognised that water is a precious resource and referred to it using the familial term 'sister'. In this way, Francis illustrated both a sense of intimate relationship with water and a deep respect for it. He knew water is essential in sustaining human life, and the lives of all living beings.  Following is a stanza from his praise of God our Creator: 

Praised be You, my Lord,
through Sister Water
who is so useful,
humble,
precious, 
and pure

- From The Canticle of the Creatures by St. Francis of Assisi

Next Tuesday, say a prayer for water as you drink, bath, wash dishes, cook.  It is God’s gift and will care for us and for the planet if we care for it.

Prayer from Water

Holy Wellspring, you are the Source of all being and an overflowing ocean of love.  From the depths of the Atlantic Ocean to the peaks of the Himalayan glaciers, the waters of the world praise You! We praise you for the ability to purify, quench, clean, and bring renewal and transformation.  We mourn the fact that many in this world do not have access to us for a clean drink or even to splash about and play.  We lament that so often we are an excuse for violence, conflict and even death.  Aquifer of love, let your justice roll down like waters, and righteousness lie an ever-flowing stream.  Make the deserts into ponds, and dry land into cascades. Let those who are thirsty come!
(Zoe Mattis – Manitoba Program Manager, Arocha)