March 22: World WATER Day

“Lord, give me some of this water, so that I may never thirst again” (Jn 4,15)

At the United Nations Conference held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, the need to remember the importance of water for the life of our planet, of the plants and animals that inhabit it, of all men and women, and of the environment was raised. Since then, many initiatives have been developed at the local, national and international levels to care for water. We need only recall, for example, the decade proposed by the UN under the title “Water for Sustainable Development, 2018-2028”.

One of the temptations for those of us who have running water in our homes is to stop valuing this essential element for life. Sometimes, we may think that it is a right, that it is “normal” to have as much water as we want. But we know this is not the case. At least we are aware that it is a privilege and an opportunity to have access to clean, quality water. Our head, in theory, is clear about it. What about our facts Our actions also clearly demonstrate that we are aware of the need not to waste this resource?

The Gospel story of the Samaritan woman reminds us of the importance of water for life. It is clear to the Samaritan woman that water is essential for life. But Jesus leads her to think further, from another perspective. Jesus offers her an even broader perspective, inviting her to take a step further in the discovery of what is essential to the life of every human being. ¿ Does the human being need water to liveSí. Does the human being need God to live fully? Totally. Marcellin was clear about this union between the “earthly” and the “spiritual”, between the things of this world and the things of God.

In recent years, many international organizations, civil society organizations, the Catholic Church, and the Marist Institute have been working to improve the quality of life of the people of the Marist world, an urgent appeal is being made to us to take care of our common home.

An essential factor in this regard is access to quality water. The material aspects of our world directly affect the men and women who inhabit the Earth. And what human beings do affects the planet as well.

The last General Chapter, in reference to Laudato Si, reminded us of the “urgency of changing the way we live based on an integral ecology”.

To respond to this call, as Marists of Champagnat, we are making an important effort to create an integrated ecological awareness in all our spaces, both in our life and mission. Many Administrative Units already have an action and reflection plan on Integral Ecology, which relates our common home to those who have the least. Other provinces are beginning to take steps to implement policies and actions along the same lines.

May we continue to thirst for God, because “in Jesus Christ we quench our thirst for God” (Jn 7,37). May we continue to thirst for justice and love, because we have to be “bridge builders””. May we continue to thirst for universal fraternity, because we are “children of the same God”. May we continue to thirst to help those most in need, because we are called to reduce “the scandal of indifference and inequalities”. May we continue to thirst for the care of our common home, because we want to “abandon the culture of egos and promote echoes”.

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Br. Ángel Diego García Otaola – Director of the Secretariaty of Solidarity