{"id":2301,"date":"2014-03-01T08:00:36","date_gmt":"2014-03-01T00:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?p=2301"},"modified":"2022-04-21T17:41:56","modified_gmt":"2022-04-21T09:41:56","slug":"99-water-an-essential-element-of-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?p=2301","title":{"rendered":"99. Water, an Essential Element of Life"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\u201c<strong><span style=\"color: #008080;\">They shall not hunger or thirst, neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them down, for he who has pity on them will lead them, and by springs of water will guide them<\/span><\/strong>.\u201d [<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Isaiah 49:10<\/span>, <em>NRSV<\/em>]<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Freshwater.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2302\" title=\"Freshwater\" src=\"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Freshwater-300x127.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"409\" height=\"173\" \/>\u00a0<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Drinking-from-a-freshwater-tap.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2303\" title=\"Drinking from a freshwater tap\" src=\"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Drinking-from-a-freshwater-tap-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"230\" height=\"172\" \/>\u00a0<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/P7230126.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2304\" title=\"P7230126\" src=\"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/P7230126-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"228\" height=\"171\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">[L] Freshwater ecoregion. [M]\u00a0Drinking from a freshwater tap. [R]\u00a0Joseph and Irene at the stand pump, with pilgrims and locals looking on.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Water is life. It is elemental, essential, mysterious and sacred. The survival of humans, and of every ecosystem on earth, relies on water. We cook with it, bathe in it, wash with it, even play in it and, of course, we drink it. Water hydrates, purifies, cleanses, restores, and heals. Its intrinsic values are wholly independent of its utilitarian and commercial exploits, so that access\u00a0to sufficient safe and clean water for personal and domestic use has long been recognized as a human right. And that means, more so for Christians than it ought to be for others, social justice in this area is a valid demand on us.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Catholic social teaching sets out a clear direction for our faith-filled choice to ensure that all people and all our fellow creatures have access to sufficient water supply to sustain life and health. There are two foundational magisterial documents that not only trace the basic outlines of Catholic belief in regard to this sacred gift from the Creator, but also offer insights on our common call to water-justice and thus a useful resource for reflection on any fresh-water-ministry. These documents are the contributions from the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace to the United Nations\u2019 Third (Kyoto, 2003) and Fourth (Mexico City, 2006) World Water Forum. The teachings in these two documents have been reaffirmed and elaborated on different occasions and in different contexts by Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Two elements in the magisterial documents lend insights to our reflections on our recent pilgrimage of pain and hope to Uganda and Rwanda.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>1. Water, an essential element of life<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Water is life giving and essential to survival. More than just a basic human need, water is an essential element of life. It is \u201can irreplaceable element to ensuring the continuance of life\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cWater is intrinsically linked to fundamental human rights such as the right to life, to food and to health. Access to safe water is a basic human right.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In a way which is clearly biblical in inspiration, the Pontifical Council first drags the world\u2019s attention to one singular focus, that is, the human person. The \u201cright to water\u201d rests on the understanding that \u201cthe human person must be the central point of convergence of all issues pertaining to development, the environment, and water.\u201d The Vatican therefore calls on the world community to ensure that the essential minimum level of the right to water is realized. \u201c<em>People<\/em> must become the active subjects of \u2018safe water\u2019 policies.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The Pontifical Council also calls attention to the goodness of the spirit of \u201csolidarity\u201d. In the Catholic tradition,<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201csolidarity is a firm and persevering commitment to the common good, to the good of all and of each individual. It presupposes the effort for a more just social order and requires a preferential option for the poor.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">This duty to the cause of co-humanity rests upon individuals as much as it does on nation states. Advanced nations and wealthier individuals, needless to say, have the weightier obligation to lend a helping hand, for \u201cto whom much is given, much also is demanded\u201d [Luke 12:48].<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>2. Water Scarcity and Deprivation<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Safe drinking water sustains life. Conversely, the absence of clean, fresh water leads to desiccation, decline, or even death. Safe drinking water is indispensable for life. And yet, a vast number of the human population faces enormous hardship daily trying to locate and collect enough of safe water for their families. When access to neither sufficient nor safe water is denied to a people, women disproportionately bear the burden of this \u201clack\u201d. As we have noted in post No. 20 of 16 November 2010 on \u201cClean Water Project &#8211; Borehole-Wells,\u201d little children walk long distances to collect poor quality water for home consumption which families in some Western countries would not consider using to even water their lawn.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">So while water is an essential element of life, the reality of the supply situation in the world is such that the Pontifical Council notes:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cThe problem of water scarcity and water deprivation is experienced most dramatically by men and women living in poverty and often in the poorest countries.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cThe many children who die each year in poor countries due to the lack of access to safe water and sanitation are a loss for the future of the whole world and for humanity as a whole.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">For Christians, and indeed for all people of good will with or without religious faith, water is a \u201csacred\u201d gift for life. As such, the gift of water is a matter that inspires gratitude. And for us Christians, this gratitude takes on a special significance:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cA spirituality of gratitude takes us beyond seeing water as only a physical or economic good, and even a social or cultural good: Water is a gift of the Creator and treated as a sacramental commons for its unique life-giving role in creation.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>A Grateful Response <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The Christian life is attuned to gratitude and praise for God\u2019s gifts. Just as true worship is proven in congruent actions, a deep-seated spirit of gratitude is seen in the matching actions it generates.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">As we have reported three years ago, our friend Fr. Emmanuel Katongole has a wonderful freshwater ministry. On our second trip to Uganda, one of the most delightful events was the commissioning of a freshwater borehole well. In obvious gratitude for what they have received in life, and desiring to give-back through acts of solidarity and co-humanity, our dear friend Joseph Siaw and his business partner in Sibu made a donation through Fr. Emmanuel \u00a0for a freshwater well in a Ugandan village of his choice. At the commissioning by Joseph and his wife Irene, freshwater from Sibu was poured over the running water raised from the well by a hand-pump, the two waters returning to earth wholly blended and indistinguishable, signifying human bonding and solidarity. In his speech of thanks to the donors, the school headmaster of the area spoke of the immense benefits the well brings to the children attending school there, as well as the entire neighbourhood of several villages.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Copyright \u00a9 Dr. Jeffrey &amp; Angie Goh, March \u00a02014. All rights reserved.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">You are most welcome to respond to this post. Email your comments to <strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">jeffangiegoh@gmail.com<\/span>.<\/strong> You can also be dialogue partners in this <em>Ephphatha Coffee-Corner Ministry<\/em> by sending us questions for discussion.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cThey shall not hunger or thirst, neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them down, for he who has pity on them will lead them, and by springs of water will guide them.\u201d [Isaiah 49:10, NRSV] \u00a0\u00a0 [L] Freshwater ecoregion. [M]\u00a0Drinking from a freshwater tap. [R]\u00a0Joseph and Irene at the stand pump, with pilgrims and <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?p=2301\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sfsi_plus_gutenberg_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_show_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_type":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_alignemt":"","sfsi_plus_gutenburg_max_per_row":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"rttpg_featured_image_url":null,"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"Dr. Jeffrey &amp; Angie Goh","author_link":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?author=1"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?cat=1\" rel=\"category\">From Our Perspective<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"\u201cThey shall not hunger or thirst, neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them down, for he who has pity on them will lead them, and by springs of water will guide them.\u201d [Isaiah 49:10, NRSV] \u00a0\u00a0 [L] Freshwater ecoregion. [M]\u00a0Drinking from a freshwater tap. [R]\u00a0Joseph and Irene at the stand pump, with pilgrims and&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2301"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2301"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2301\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7108,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2301\/revisions\/7108"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2301"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2301"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2301"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}