Water brings reminders of eternal life to the liturgy

By Patricia Kasten
Compass Associate Editor

Water, water, everywhere,

It ought to make you think.

Water is a large part of our liturgical and devotional practices. This is especially true in the Easter season, when water seems to surround us. Several parishes make the point of having running water - placing a fountain or waterfall near the sanctuary.

This contrasts Easter with Lent - when we underwent desert experiences, in tandem with the Lord who spent 40 days in the desert before his earthly ministry:

During Lent, we did not have baptisms - except in emergencies - and some parishes even sealed or drained their baptismal fonts. The lack of holy water reminded us that we waited the rebirth of Easter, thirsting for God.

So now, with flowing water and overflowing fonts, we cannot help but be aware of the new life of Easter and of him who promised "living water, welling up to eternal life" to the woman at the well (Jn 4:5-42, Gospel for the Third Sunday of Lent, Year A).

But water in church is not just meant to remind us that it's Easter, or contrast with Lent. It should remind us of the sacraments, given by the Lord in order to bring the promise of Easter "to all nations." Each use of water does that in different ways:

• Holy water - used for blessings and placed at the entrance of church - reminds us of baptism. This is also why it is used to bless a body at the funeral Mass; to remind us that we were already raised in baptism and promised eternal life. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church says of the water of baptism: "Immersion in water symbolizes not only death and purification, but also regeneration and renewal" (n. 1262).

Holy water is a sacramental, imparting some of the grace of the sacrament it resembles when used in a prayerful manner.

• Easter water is the holy water of the Easter font. Blessed with the Paschal Candle, it is used for Easter baptisms and often taken home by the faithful. Sprinkling at the penitential rite during Masses of Easter is done with holy water. While an aspergillum is sometimes used for sprinkling, many churches use evergreen branches. This is a reminder of the great penitential psalm, the Miserere (Ps 51), which pleads God to "cleanse me with hyssop and I shall be clean; wash me and I shall be whiter than snow."

When we bless ourselves with holy water (or Easter water) upon entering church, we recall this need for repentance. At the sacrament of reconciliation, we are washed of our sins. Reverent use of this sacramental - if we are not in mortal sin - helps prepare us to receive the sacrament of Eucharist.

• Washing with water, done by the priest before the Consecration, again reminds us of our need for reconciliation and preparation to receive the Eucharist. The priest's words, "Lord, wash me of my iniquities and cleanse me of my sins," speak both of reconciliation and of the royal priesthood to which we are all called. In ancient Israel, the priests washed themselves before entering God's presence in the Temple.

• Water in wine, the commingling done in preparation for the Eucharistic prayer, reminds us that we are joined to Christ - through the greatest sacrament. As St. Cyprian wrote in the third century about this commingling: "if anyone offers wine only, the blood of Christ is dissociated from us; but if the water be alone, the people are dissociated from Christ; but when both are mingled, and are joined with one another by a close union, there is completed a spiritual and heavenly sacrament."

(Water is also used to cleanse vessels after Communion, removing the last vestiges of the holy sacrament.)

• The final washing At the end of Mass, the priest or deacon says, "The Mass is ended. Go in peace to love and serve the Lord." While no water is involved, the image of water exists in the call to service: the Mandatum instituted by Christ. On the same night he gave us his Body and Blood, the Lord also washed the feet of his disciples. By doing so, he charged them with his own mission: to bring the Good News to others. We are to go and wash the feet of others - bringing a cup of water and the new life of Christ.

That is the message of the Paschal Mystery we celebrate each Sunday - and with special emphasis during this Easter season.