Daughters of St. Paul Strength for the Week

Strength for the Week

Water from the Side of Christ, Wash Me This week’s reflection from the Anima Christi—Water from the side of Christ, wash me!—has led me to recall some memories I have around water. I read once that when American prisoners of war who had been captured during the war in Vietnam came home, many of them showered over and over again. After many months and, for some, prolonged years of imprisonment, they could not get enough of the cleansing power of a good hot shower. They had been deprived of the everyday amenity of hot and cold water so many of us enjoy. Beyond the daily function of water for washing and quenching our thirst, water appears in just about every book of the Bible, symbolizing cleansing, the giving of life, renewal, healing and blessing. Jesus said of himself to the Samaritan woman, “I will be a Fountain of Living Water welling up within you.” Waterfalls are a powerful experience of water in the beauty of nature. Many years ago I had the exciting opportunity to visit Akaka Falls on Hawaii’s Big Island when we were staying at an old plantation house while carrying out our mission in that area. Sr. Cynthia and I drove through what appeared to be unremarkable and untended old sugarcane fields for quite a while to a lookout. There the splendor of Akaka Falls literally took my breath away as I peered down at the water plunging more than 400 feet below into a stream-eroded gorge and tropical paradise. Maybe you have experienced something of this awe if you have visited Niagara Falls. The power of the Falls is hard to describe, especially if you take the exhilarating adventure to the base of the Niagara Gorge and stand below the Bridal Veil, just 15 feet from the Falls. Standing on the hurricane deck with the unending flow of water crashing down in front of you is an unforgettable experience. All of these water images remind me of the line from the Anima Christi (Soul of Christ) prayer: “Water from the side of Christ, wash me!” How often have you felt the need to be cleansed by that water ever flowing from the side of Christ? A good confession, a moment of graced insight, the relief we feel when we resist the urge to act rashly or even sinfully are moments when we allow that water to rush over us and purify us. To delve more deeply into the gift of water that Jesus offers from his wounded side, Sister Marie Paul Curley offers these reflections on the petition, Water from the side of Christ, wash me!

Water from the Side of Christ, wash me!

Blood and water pour forth from His wound, a “cleansing tide” that has the power to wash away not just our sins but the sins of the world. The world longs for this cleansing, although it doesn’t know it. But we are not unaware. We can receive this cleansing and be freed from the chains of the sinful tendencies that hold us back and hinder us from reaching our full potential. This water does not just wash us, but heals us and draws us closer to the living God. Dare we allow this longing for cleansing and renewal to grow in us?

…An ordinary and yet marvelous way to experience this sacred cleansing and conversion is to receive the sacrament of Reconciliation.

(Excerpted from Chapter 5 of Soul of Christ: Meditations on a Timeless Prayer by Sr. Marie Paul Curley, FSP.)