MARFAM WEEKLY E-NEWSLETTER

This Season of Creation 2026 there is a big focus on water, living water to be specific.  But that is intriguing me.   Is water living or dead?  Is it non-animate and so is living water a more spiritualized, abstract concept?.  In his various “I AM” statements in John’s gospel, Jesus describes himself in many different ways to do with life.  John 7:37-39. On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.”

This living water then can be love, care, but also practical and material life-giving help.  The key must be life-giving, which from a spiritual and also a family perspective is part of a couple and family relationship.  Pope Leo just spoke of this too,  “Greeting parents and children gathered in the Governorate courtyard, the Pope recalled a phrase of St John Paul II: ’The family is the mirror in which God sees Himself. God wants to see Himself in our community, in our family. God is present in your family,’ Pope Leo said.  He then spoke of the two “greatest miracles” found in family life: giving life and giving love. “I want to thank all of you, your families, for this great miracle that you are,” he said. From Vatican News.

However, let’s also consider water per se, as a source of life.  As an activity for the Season of Creation I created a simple prayer reflection for a group of seniors in which we looked at water in various ways;  practical and spiritual, the word,  the image, its usefulness, its lack, and its being a gift from God etc.  See text attached below.

From a practical, physical aspect do we just see water as a commodity, H2O, something to which we are entitled by right and which our government owes us. We demand, but do we also encourage and thank those who do the hard work of providing it for our daily domestic use, – and hearing our constant complaints- quite apart from its other uses in sustaining our whole world?   

LIVING WATER. Coming back to the “living water’ aspect. When is it alive, is it ever dead? What is necessary for water to be life-giving and what is our responsibility in caring for it?   Does it even give life to all the creatures when it is polluted?   St Francis praises God for Sister Water as being humble, precious, chaste and pure.  In its natural state that is true, but the water we drink today, wash in and with, use in industry and what flows in our rivers, is hardly original but treated and maltreated too.  We will unpack some of the aspects of being water wise in my FAMILY MATTERS Veritas Radio programme and these reflections, with Duncan Stuart Keil, a water management expert in all areas of life.  We will unpack one of MARFAM’s messages from BECOMING ECO-FRIENDLY FAMILIES booklet, WATER WARRIORS ARE WATER WISE.

THE MIRACLE OF WATER. I was thinking in terms of the Miracle of Water, not being aware that research (google Masaru Emoto) is even happening into the capacity of water crystals to think and feel, resonate with and respond to how we address water.  For me, the more I reflect on its value and beauty, but also its abuse and resilience, the ability to regenerate and heal itself is a miracle.

Could Jesus in his own unique spiritual way – as God-man,  have understood 2000 years ago what an extremely precious element of creation “living water” truly is?  How much do we still have to learn?

The vision of the prophet Ezekiel from 47:9-12 of streams of living water, is miraculous,  providing hope and healing at a time of the exile, loss, disaster and the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem.  

DOWNLOADABLE REFLECTION PROGRAMME. . https://marfam.org.za/living-water-season-of-creation-mini-prayer-service/

The extract that follows is from the Season of Creation guidelines detailed ecumenical prayer service, downloadable from  www.seasonofcreation.org.  It is recommended especially for promoting interdenominational use by Christian groups.

Prayer from the Season of Creation

Holy God, whose Spirit hovered over the waters at the beginning, we gather as part of your community of all creation, thirsty for your grace.

We give thanks for the gift of water, the veins of our common home, that sustains the cedar and the whale, the pasture and the city. We are grateful for the local waters that nourish our  homelands and our fellow creatures. We give thanks that in your well-watered garden, every drop is a sacred testament to your love.

Yet, we confess that we have treated this gift as a mere commodity. We have choked the seas with our waste and watched the warming tides rise in judgment.

We lament the cracked earth of the drought-stricken and the salty tears of the climate refugee. Melt our frozen hearts, O God, and let the waters of repentance flow.

Lord of all Life,  in your vision to the prophet Ezekiel you promised that wherever the river flows, everything shall live.  Stir in us a calling to care for the waters — to protect the watershed, defend the rights of water, and honor the dignity of the thirsty.

May your Word be a spring within us, gushing forth for the healing of the nations. Where water flows, Lord, let everything live, trees for food and leaves for healing

DAILY FAMILY PRAYER from Season of Creation 2026.  May God our Father, who brought water from a rock, sustain us in the desert. May Christ our Lord, who is Living Water, refresh us for the work of restoration.  May the Holy Spirit carry us on currents of grace until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. Amen. St Francis guide and inspire us on our way.


THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

DAILY FAMILY PRAYER. May God our Father who brought water from the rock sustain us in the desert. May Christ our Lord who is Living Water refresh us for the work of restoration. May the Holy Spirit carry us on currents of grace until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. Amen.

September 9.  SAVE.  (From Becoming Eco-Friendly Families)  This word, “save” is nterpreted nowadays in lots of different ways, apart from water our topic for today, sometimes useful, sometimes not.  Of course my computer constantly asks me to “save” or “don’t’ save.”  Much of it is clogging up the works, but extra space is constantly being created, rather than removing stuff,. Is it in the cloud or under the sea?  Keeping it is costing, through wasting energy. as I discovered.  Are you a hoarder, and should you be dumping  stuff?  

A better use of the word is in saving money, for a rainy day, for one’s old age, or for a special item. This happens, maybe less than before.  Do parents encourage children from a young age to save a little?  We, even kids, buy on credit rather than save up for what we want. But credit is not unlimited and a day of reckoning is coming.  

Reckoning applies to ecology and creation too, which certainly needs to be saved from destruction of biodiversity,  loss of plants and animals. Human population is more complex. Are we too many or not enough? The peace and harmony of established cultures is at risk. Some important old and well-functioning cultures need saving from being overwhelmed by outsiders or newcomers. Migrants should have rights. as they have left their home country due to conflict and poor governance, or for more selfish economic reasons.  What is the impact on their host countries which also have rights and may want to save what they have developed over time. Saving, sharing, scrapping. Where are the rights and where the wrongs? The Beatitudes of Jesus are as countercultural now justice as they were in his day.

Reflect, share, act. Scripture: Blessed are you that hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Woe to you that are rich for you have receive your consolation. Woe to you that are full now, for you shall hunger. From Luke 6:20-26.  Pope Francis: . A constant flood of new consumer goods can baffle the heart and prevent us from cherishing each thing and each moment. To be serenely present to each reality, however small it may be, opens us to much greater horizons of understanding and personal fulfilment. Christian spirituality proposes a growth marked by moderation and the capacity to be happy with little. LS 222.  Eco-tip:  Reflect on and share on your understanding of the deeper meaning of saving and salvation. Pray the eucharistic acclamation:  Save us, saviour of the world, for by your cross and resurrection you have set us free.

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