but one soldier thrust his lance into his side,
and immediately blood and water flowed out.
Blood and water flowed from the heart of Jesus because his heart itself was the new temple. Just as the old temple had an outlet through which the blood of sacrifices was emptied using water to facilitate the flow so too did Jesus' heart let flow his own Precious Blood together with streams of living water. The was the water which Ezekiel saw figuratively in his vision of the temple.
Again he measured a thousand, and it was a river that I could not pass through, for the water had risen. It was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be passed through (see Ezekiel 47:5).
This was the water that Jesus promised to the Samaritan woman at the well, about which he said "whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again" (see John 4:14). This is consistent with Ezekiel's description of the power of the stream flowing from the temple.
This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, and enters the sea; when the water flows into the sea, the water will become fresh. And wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish. For this water goes there, that the waters of the sea may become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes ... And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing (see Ezekiel 47:8-9, 12).
Just as Jesus had promised the Samaritan woman so too did he promise those at the feast in Jerusalem, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’" (see John 7:37-38). This promise was not just to a specific person or group but to all the followers of Jesus in all times and places. But what did it mean to drink this living water? To what did the psalm refer when it said we would draw water at the streams of salvation?
The first association this water brings to mind is the font of baptism which was unsealed for the Church by the death and resurrection of Jesus. This was the initial draught of water that would become a spring welling up in believers unto eternal life. But more generally, the living water was a symbol of the Holy Spirit himself. Prior to the death of Jesus the Spirit had not yet been given. Referring to his previous statement about streams of living water flowing from his heart the Gospel writer explained, saying, "Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified" (see John 7:39). But with the completion of the self-offering of Jesus the barriers to prevent that stream from flowing were removed and a torrent began to flow, cascading down from heaven, culminating in the gift of Spirit at Pentecost.
The Spirit flows to us from the heart of Jesus, a heart that was wounded out of love for us. This means that the Spirit is more the a power source or fuel or means of divine connectivity. He is himself the bond of love by which God draws us to himself. Those of us who have been baptized have received some measure of this gift and yet if we are attentive we will notice that we still thirst for more. We want to live lives based on the gift of strength in the inner self that the Spirit brings and especially to be "rooted and grounded in love". How do we drink more deeply of this gift of grace? We do what Paul prayed his hearers would be empowered to do (since this prayer of his extends to us as well).
that you, rooted and grounded in love,
may have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones
what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge,
so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
It would seem that we drink more deeply of the stream of living water by comprehending more and more the love of Christ himself. This is no onerous obligation. Even the means by which the gift is given is itself a gift. Let us therefore stay well hydrated with this water of love so that we ourselves may survive even in times of dryness and so that we may become a source of life for others.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation.
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