Fr. Eduardo Emilio Aguero, SCJ
Childhood by the Stream
One of the sweetest memories from my childhood was spending summer days in the hills of Córdoba, Argentina, in a small village where my grandparents lived. We’d visit them every year, and those days were filled with joy. I remember the stream that ran down through the colorful stones, its waters crystal clear, fresh, and pure. My younger brother, cousins, and I would play in it until sunset—building little dams, catching tiny fish, splashing around. Time flew by so fast! Last year, my brother came to visit me, and we went to Tai-O, on Lantau Island in Hong Kong. Some Filipino friends took us to a waterfall that poured down from the mountain. The solitude of the place, the shadows, and the cool, clear water brought back those unforgettable days by the stream in that little village on the hills.
Water That Gives Life
Water isn’t just a symbol of life—it’s essential to it. In the book of Ezekiel, the Lord gives the prophet a vision to help him understand that true life, healing, and restoration for Israel come from intimacy with God. The Temple is the holy place where God’s Glory dwells. From beneath the altar, a stream of living water flows southward, then turns east as it leaves the Temple. This detail—that the water flows from beneath the altar and threshold—shows that it springs from the very foundation, the rock upon which the Temple of Jerusalem is built. It’s like the rock at Meribah that Moses struck with his staff, bringing water to the desert (Exodus 17:5–7), or like the side of Christ on the cross, pierced by the soldier’s lance, from which blood and water flowed—symbols of covenant and Spirit, Eucharist and Baptism. This stream begins small, like a trickle, but grows stronger as it moves away from the Temple, watering the desert. To the east of Jerusalem lies the Dead Sea, which comes alive through this healing, nourishing water.
Humble Beginnings
That little stream—like the one in my grandparents’ village—reminds us of the humble, hidden, poor beginnings of the Gospel. It’s in places like Nazareth, where Jesus lived quietly for 30 years, that the work of renewal and redemption begins. I’ve seen this truth unfold in missionary life—in the remote corners of Odisha in India or Mindanao in The Philippines, on the coasts of East Timor, and the far away islands of Cabo Verde. God works miracles, but He starts in Nazareth, in Galilee, in the margins—places where people say, “Can anything good come from there?” (John 1:46).
The water flows eastward, toward the sunrise, evoking resurrection—the full life of the new Adam, which Christ comes to offer us.
A Stream That Reaches the Nations
This water doesn’t stop at the desert. It flows outward, bringing life to the thirsty land and to all the peoples of the earth. Its origin is the Temple and the faithful remnant of Israel. But in the deepest sense, its source is Jesus—the new Adam, the true Temple of God, the meeting place between humanity and the Divine. And this salvation doesn’t stay contained. It pours out like a flood of grace upon all nations. This universal reach of salvation is a hallmark of the biblical prophets. “In you all the nations of the earth shall be blessed,” God promised Abraham (Genesis 12:3).
The True Temple and the Lamb of God
In the Gospel of John, Jesus drives out the animals from the Temple, signaling the end of old sacrifices and the beginning of the one true offering of the New Covenant. As John the Baptist had proclaimed, Jesus is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn 1:36). When bystanders ask Jesus for a sign to prove who He is, He points to His death and resurrection: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19).
Let´s be challenged by the Word of God
Take a moment to pause and enter into prayerful reflection. Where in your life has God begun something small, hidden, and humble—perhaps unnoticed at first, like a trickling stream? Can you recognize the quiet flow of His grace in those places? Ask the Lord to make you a channel of His living water, so that through you, healing, nourishment, and hope may reach the dry and weary corners of the world. Consider how you might carry the Gospel to the margins—through acts of love, service, or prayer. Who around you is thirsting for God’s love? Believe with confidence that the stream flowing from Christ, the true and living Temple, reaches even the most barren places. Let His light, risen and radiant, guide your steps and renew your heart.
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