Water (repost)

In today's Gospel, Jesus meets the woman at the well,  asks her for a drink, and speaks to her of "living water".   I figured I would repost this post from early 2016 that deals with the topic of water.

"To give drink to the thirsty" is one of the corporal works of mercy we are being asked to learn and practice during this Year of Mercy.

Water is central to our existence. It is indispensable for living.   The present Holy Father, Pope Francis, said water is "the most essential element for life", and "humanity's future depends on our ability to care and share it.".  Some of you may recall my post on November 29 when the Holy Father was in Africa and he spoke about the need for clean water in many of the communities there.  There are clearly still parts of the world where access to clean drinking water remains an issue.
The late Saint Pope John Paul II wrote, "As a gift from God, water is a vital element essential to survival, thus everyone has a right to it."   He wrote that the need for water precedes the "market logic".  Some natural rights come before any "ism" that might exist today (socialism, capitalism, etc.); life and family are good examples, and right to water is another.  Water is essential to the survival of the human race, and thus, anyone has a God-given right to it, whether that person is rich or poor, lives in the First World or the Third World, lives in a democracy or in a dictatorship. 
John Paul II was influenced by the solidarity movement in his native Poland, and this influenced a lot of his thought and teaching.  It was a movement designed as a response to the Communist government's abuse of human rights.  (We spoke about the issues of Communism in a post on August 8.)  The essential philosophy of that movement was that we stand with each other, in recognition of our common, basic human rights.

With regards to the basic human right to water, we all must stand together.  The rich must stand with the poor, the First World with the Third World, as the issue of getting access to drinking water may be an issue that developing countries may not be able to accomplish by themselves.
In standing with one another, we become compassionate with one another, and this is at the essence of mercy.  So, this Year of Mercy is certainly a good time to try and help bring some people who are thirsty some water. 

Lest we think of this particular corporal work of mercy as merely some kind of environmental feel-good thing, let's remember some of the words of Our Savior.  He said from the Cross,  "I thirst." (John 19:28).   He says to those damned to hell, "I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink."  (Matthew 25:42).  Thirst is a serious matter for Our Lord.  If we do not seek to satisfy His thirst by quenching the thirst of our brethren, not only will we and they not feel good, but we may lose our salvation.

Finally, I want to call attention to a particular group of  people in our own country who are crying out for water.   I am thinking those whom we condemn to death prematurely when we withhold food and water from them.   The right to food and water is a non-negotiable.  That right just does not disappear when we enter any kind of state, even if it be a vegetative or comatose one, or we just simply grow old.   These rights, as I stated, are foundational, from God, and they exist before any government, or any other entity, even a person's family member, can grant it or take it away.  My friends, if we say we have a "right" to withhold basic care, the basic essentials of food and water from anyone, we are setting a very dangerous precedent, and starting down a very slippery slope.  Well, we already have.
Many of these brothers and sisters of ours whom we withhold food and water to  may not be able to talk, but if we continue to do these things to them without repenting, we may very well hear those aforementioned words of Our Lord when we least want to hear it, at the judgment seat, and they will be so awful to hear, and the torment will never end.   This slippery spoke I spoke of could lead all the way to hell for those of us who participate in this without repenting.

Joseph most just, pray for us.