Ezekiel saw a vision of a miraculous trickle of water flowing from the Temple and becoming a great river of life. St. John, the apostle and evangelist, saw the same river as a picture of heaven (Rv 22:1ff).
By baptizing us and giving us a new nature, Jesus has made our bodies temples of the Holy Spirit (see 1 Cor 6:19). He promises that rivers of living water will flow out from Him and us (Jn 7:38). As temples of the Holy Spirit, we have within us the living waters of the Holy Spirit, "a fountain within [us], leaping up to provide eternal life" (Jn 4:14).
As temples of the Holy Spirit, our bodies are like movable baptismal fonts. Most people of the world at this point have not received the major event and transformation in life, which is Baptism. Even many of the two billion people who are baptized are not living their Baptisms. Under these circumstances, much of our world is comprised of cultures of death. Too many are the dry, dead bones which Ezekiel envisioned (Ez 37:1ff). In this desolation, we need the living waters of Baptism. We need temples of the Holy Spirit who help the Spirit send forth the waters of life. We need moving baptismal fonts bringing life to the most desolate places. Renew and live your Baptism fully.
| PRAYER: | Father, make me as both a moving baptismal font and a moving tabernacle as I live fully the sacraments of initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Eucharist. |
| PROMISE: | "Remember, now, you have been cured. Give up your sins so that something worse may not overtake you." –Jn 5:14 |
| PRAISE: | Martha invited her friend to church. The friend felt the presence of God and became Catholic. |
Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:
· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College