Living Waters or Broken Cisterns

A Reflection on the Waters of Life

PRESENTATION FORMAT

Jeremiah 2:7-8, 11-19 Who is Jeremiah? 2:13 and 2:18-19

A Catholic Natural Theology Water and…

the Common Good The Right to Life

Christian Simple Living

Who is Jeremiah

627 bce – 582 bce721 bce Assyrian Exile: 586 bce Babylonian ExileNorthern prophet (Covenant and Creation motiff)Supporter of Josiah’s Deuteronomic (religious,

social and economic) reformCondemns the “independence at all cost” policy

of the monarchy that leads to militarization and economic injustice

Advocates for submission to Babylon from which Judah can live in peace and focus again on the Deuteronomic social reforms.

Jeremiah and Creation

Deuteronomy 28: Blessings for Obedience“They have abandoned God, “the source of

living waters,” that is, water that flows naturally from the earth in springs and brooks and can be depended upon, and have chosen instead pagan gods, “broken cisterns, that hold no water,”

Scripture:God’s relationship with nature:

Genesis and Psalms (104:25, 30)Colossians 1:16-17

God teaches us through nature:Job 12: 7-10Romans 1:19-20 - For what can be known about

God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made.

A Catholic Natural Theology

Early Church: West: St. Ambrose and St. AugustineEast: St. Basil the Great and St. John of

DamascusMedieval development:

Spirituality: St. Hildegard de Bingen, St. Bernard de Clairvaux, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Julian of Norwich

Theology: Gratian and St. Thomas Aquinas

A Catholic Natural Theology

St. Paul of the Cross

Listen to the sermons of the flowers, the trees, the bushes, the heavens, the sun, and all the world. You will find they preach of love and praise of God, and invite you to magnify the greatness of the Sovereign Artist, who gave them being.

Water and the Common GoodThe principle of the universal destination of goods

also applies naturally to water, considered in the Sacred Scriptures as a symbol of purification (cf. Ps 51:4; Jn 13:8) and of life (cf. Jn 3:5; Gal 3:27). “As a gift from God, water is a vital element essential to survival; thus, everyone has a right to it”.

By its very nature water cannot be treated as just another commodity among many, and it must be used rationally and in solidarity with others. …Without water, life is threatened. Therefore, the right to safe drinking water is a universal and inalienable right. – Compendium #484 & 485

Water and LifeIf there is a lack of respect for the right to life …

the conscience of society ends up losing the concept of human ecology and, along with it, that of environmental ecology.

The book of nature is one and indivisible: it takes in not only the environment but also life, sexuality, marriage, the family, social relations: in a word, integral human development. Our duties towards the environment are linked to our duties towards the human person, considered in himself and in relation to others. It would be wrong to uphold one set of duties while trampling on the other.

Water and Life (UNESCO)1.8 Million people, mostly women and

children, die each year from water related diseases. 700,ooo children under 5 die from diarrhea in India alone

One billion people lack access to safe water. 2.6 billion individuals do not have access to sanitation systems

In the poorest of countries, one child out of five doesn’t reach the age of 5 mainly because of infectious diseases provoked by poor water quality.

Hundreds of millions of people die or are relocated following water related catastrophes

“Attention also needs to be paid to the world-wide problem of water and to the global water cycle system,” - Pope Benedict XVI

The Aral Sea

Water ConsumptionEach person needs about 21 gallons of water

a day for a reasonable standard of living. In the world’s poorest countries, people use just 2 gallons a day to wash clean and cook. In the U.S., the typical person uses 100-150 gallons per day. On average, it takes: 2.5-6 gallons per minute for a shower35 gallons foe a full load in the washing

machine2.5 gallons per flush of the toilet15 gallons to run the dishwasher

“It is becoming more and more evident that the issue of environmental degradation challenges us to examine our life-style and the prevailing models of consumption.” –Pope Benedict XVIGive up bottled water. Instead opt for promoting

clean public water and using a water filter systems and reusable aluminum bottles

Limit dishwasher use or at least wait until dishwasher is full before using it.

Avoid letting water run needlesslyPlace a brick in your toilet tankLimit shower time or install low flow showerheadsOnly full loads in washing machines