Reflection: 4th Tuesday of Lent

Mass
Invocation: E ulu
First Reading: Ez 47:1-9, 12
Responsorial: Psalm 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9
Gospel: Jn 5:1-16

Reflection

Eia ka wai la, he wai e ola…

If an Academy Award were given for today’s set of readings, the “best supporting character” award would go to…water. After all, the common theme shared with the first reading and Gospel is water—for its life-giving, life-sustaining and healing properties.

Nearly 3/4 of our planet is made up of water. Similarly, our bodies are made up of about 70 percent of water.

I would suspect that throughout history, many cultures would revere water as a symbol of God. This was the case in Hawaiian culture, where water was viewed as sacred, reflected by the chant of invocation used at the start of Mass. The final three lines—Eia ka wai la, he wai e ola, e ola no e—are translated as “Here is the water, life-giving water, grant life indeed” (video above shows the chant offered by two members of the Society of Mary at a Diamond Head memorial service during the 125th anniversary of Marianist presence in Hawai‘i, January 24, 2009).

Used in the prayerful context of opening the liturgy, this chant of invocation calls us to remember that in Baptism we were born to live in Christ and that we nourish that life with “life-giving water”—the gift of the Eucharist celebrated in Mass.

On a day when light rain and water fell from Heaven upon us, it is important to remember how God has blessed us with many gifts. And, like the gift of water, how do we use the many other blessings and giftedness that we’ve been given? How are we stewards of our gifts?

How are we discerning our individual gifts with others—whether in the context of family, school, community—and developing them to use in the service of others.

How are we respecting those gifts by seeking constantly ways to use them to build loving, trusting and healthy relationships with others—the building blocks of community life

As we prepare to receive the Eucharist, on this day that water has fallen upon us, let us pray in gratitude for the many gifts and blessings that we’ve received and for the faith to develop and share those gifts in support of one another.