Tuesday, April 1
Where the Light Gets In, Sara Caporaletti.
Water is the recurrent thread running through the daily readings today. At the entrance of the temple, Ezekiel is led to see water flowing out and rapidly rising to form a river that leads to growth. I spent most of last month at an artist residency and there was a river running through the main part of the residency’s campus. When I arrived early in March, much of the water was still covered with layers of ice and only small streams of water passed through. I would sit near a window most breakfasts where I could watch the water change and move each day. As the days warmed with spring-like weather and some rainy days, the river rapidly cleared and began flowing strongly. Water has a calming and peaceful presence, but also can be powerful and mighty as it flows along.
Where the river flows, there is life. I noticed that people who passed over the river in this town often stop to take in the rushing rapids for a few moments, myself included. There is something about the water that draws me in. The temple river that the angel speaks of reminds me of the waters of baptism where we are made a new creation in Christ or the water that flowed from Christ's side on the cross. There is great power in both.
The psalmist speaks of a stream and its runlets that gladden the city of God. A line later they continue, “God is in its midst; it shall not be disturbed.” Perhaps this is why I always feel God’s presence near water. I find that I am drawn in and seek it out, even just a small stream trickling by, to calm my mind. Water is powerful and even a small trickle will push its way through any obstacle, including rocks, smoothing them over time and creating a new pathway to flow through. Water is a life-giving force and is needed for growth and sustainability.
Finally in John’s Gospel, the sick man asks Jesus for help to get to the pool of water at the Sheep Gate so he can be healed. But Jesus is there before him and asks the personal question to him and to us—Do you want to be well? With Jesus, we can be healed and made new, without the water itself because he is the Living Water. Our faith can be strengthened when Jesus shows up and heals us, but it also can be proven in the endurance of waiting and trusting in His timing.
Water is always moving and changing like we are. As Lent continues, look for the sources of life-giving water in our life where the Lord is present and for the places where we are awaiting his light and power in the glory of the resurrection.
Sara Caporaletti is an arts administrator and mixed media visual artist based in Maryland. Her multimedia work references identity, faith, and anatomy.
You can learn more about her here.