Water has always exercised a great fascination for humanity. Water can be very destructive when it builds into torrents and flood, when rain is prolonged and torrential. But there is a certain beauty in light showers, especially when accompanied by freshness and the colours of a rainbow. Waterfalls and great rivers, large lakes and lily ponds all fascinate us. The power of such expanses of water to soothe the mind and heart is well known in human experience. So the Psalmist affirms that even in the city of God, whether Jerusalem or heaven there is a stream whose runlets are a source of gladness.

Whether consciously or unconsciously, we make an association between water and life, and so part of our fascination with water stems from this association. Of all the different forms of liquid available on earth only water is essential for life and health, cleanliness and comfort. Not surprisingly, then, Ezekiel sees great symbolism in the water flowing from the Temple. This water is the source of vegetable and animal life. Beyond its necessity for our own human lives, through the sacrament of baptism, water is for us an instrument of grace and a sign of the Spirit.