The United Nations General Assembly, in December 2003, proclaimed  the years 2005 to 2015

as  the International Decade for Action "Water for Life".

 

There was an international exhibition in Saragoza , Spain, from 14th June to 14th September 2008,

also around the topic water and its impact in our lives:

Water and Sustainable Development.

One of the pavilions presented the theme ”Living Water” inspired in

the Talk of Jesus to the Samaritan woman in the Gospel of John, chapter 4.

 

      

 

ACROSS THE BIBLE across EUROPE -

Water and Life

 

Water is essential to life on earth,

 it is not the property of a few people

but a common good of all mankind, something

we are all to be grateful for and also responsible for.

 

Water plays a central role in every generation, every continent, every culture and religion.

The Bible is full of stories about water too, because it is a testimony of life

across milleniums, across peoples, across frontiers,

introducing different dimensions of human life.

 

In the Bible we learn about the both

 life-giving and also destructive power of water.

We learn about different meanings of water.

Water is present there in common or less common daily routines;

water proves to have great impact in human relationships,

both in conflicts and fights due to scarcity or drought,

but also in floods, calamity situations that lead to

personal or general distress.

Also special spiritual meanings of ‘water’ are presented in the Bible.

We learn that the word can be used as a metaphor, in comparisons,

 making people aware of abstract, spiritual realities that, like water,

are also of crucial importance to people’s lives.

 

Mankind faces similar situations of more or less abundance in their routines today.

Mankind is threatened by disasters

 followed by hunger, diseases, insecurity.

With so many resources and the challenge of globalization,

how do people care for water as part of God’s creation,

as global responsibility?

How can we encourage greater awareness among young people

to accept this common mandate relating fresh water for everybody?

Also, what special spiritual meanings of ‘water’ are passed on

to us in the Bible?

 

ACROSS THE BIBLE

is starting a new project for the year 2008/2009, entitled

WATER FOR LIFE across THE BIBLE NOWADAYS

 

We have chosen this title as a parallel to the motto of the water decade ‘Water for life’.

We want to reflect on Old and New Testament texts that tell us about water and its different meanings

and will try to find links of concern to water issues today.