Third week of Lent | March 7-13 2010
Christian Simplicity Online at www.lent45.org
Walking in the Footsteps of Jesus – Who Lived in Harmony with Creation, God, and the Entire Human Family
Water Our Lenten practice in simplicity this week is to conserve and protect the sacred gift of water..
Sacred Water
“The water I give shall become a fountain within.” – John 4:14
Water is the source of life. If life is sacred,
then whatever supports life is sacred.
The oceans, rivers, lakes and streams are part of God’s wondrous
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creation. Looking at our blue planet from space, it might appear What the Church is Saying
that we have a lot of water. But only 1% is available for human
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consumption. Since there are over 6 billion humans – not to 1. Access to Safe and Sufficient Water is a Basic Human Right
mention all plants and other animals that depend on water to “Water is a vital element essential to survival; thus, everyone has a
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stay alive – we must learn to share and use water wisely. As God’s right to it...Water is not an unlimited resource. Its rational use in
stewards, we are called to care for this sacred gift. We must learn solidarity demands the collaboration of all people of good will with
to protect water (don’t pollute) and use it carefully (conserve, don’t government institutions so as to ensure the effective protection of the
waste). That’s going to be our focus this week. environment, understood as a gift from God.” – Pope John Paul II
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The world water crisis is one of the largest public health issues of 2. The World Water Crisis is an Ethical Issue for People of Faith
our time. Millions of women and children spend hours every day “Attention also needs to be paid to the world-wide problem of water
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walking miles to collect water. Nearly 18% of the world’s population and to the global water cycle system, which is of prime importance for
lacks access to safe drinking water. Approximately 1.6 million people life on earth… The ecological problem must be dealt with not only
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die annually from unavoidably consuming polluted water. Just because of the chilling prospects of environmental degradation on the
because we have access to water doesn’t mean we can be wasteful. horizon; the real motivation must be the quest for authentic world-wide
Our Lenten fast this week calls us to use water responsibly and solidarity inspired by the values of charity, justice and the
gratefully, keeping in mind the many who suffer for lack of this common good.” – Pope Benedict XVI, January 2010
essential resource.
3. Over-Consuming Water Impairs the Well-Being of Society
At home, we have many opportunities to reduce our water footprint
by up to 25%. Wasting water through leaks, long showers, letting “The hoarding of resources, especially water, can generate serious
it run unnecessarily when washing teeth or dishes and careless conflicts among the peoples involved. Peaceful agreement about the
landscape watering become not only justice issues, use of resources can protect nature and, at the same time, the well
but very expensive as well. being of the societies concerned.”
– Pope Benedict XVI, Caritas In Veritate, 2009
4. Dangers of Privatizing Water by Corporations
“By its very nature water cannot be treated as just another commodity
Approximately 1.6 million among many, and it must be used rationally and in solidarity with
people die annually from others.... The right to water, as all human rights, finds its basis in human
dignity and not in any kind of merely quantitative assessment that
unavoidably consuming
considers water as a merely economic good.”
polluted water. – Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, #484
“Praised to you, my Lord, through Sister Water, so useful, humble, precious, and pure.” – St. Francis of Assisi
Imagine if the Earth were divided equally among all of us. Each person would receive 4.5 acres. Now imagine that everything you need –
food, energy, home, clothing, gadgets – must come from those 4.5 acres. But it takes 22.3 acres to maintain the average American lifestyle.
There is a new way of observing Lent that helps us care for God’s creation by taking steps toward using only our fair share of its resources. Page 1
Moving in the direction of 4.5 is essential for anyone walking in the footsteps of Jesus today. Online at www.lent45.org
Christian Simplicity Online at www.lent45.org
Our water consumption is measured in three categories: home, agricultural and industrial usages. At home, the typical American uses between 100-150
gallons of water daily in the kitchen, bathroom, laundry and yard. However, most of the water we consume is hidden in what it takes to produce our food
and consumer products. For example, it takes a whopping 1500 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of beef and 48 gallons for a bag of potato chips. Water
is required to manufacture our clothing (528 gallons for a cotton T-shirt), paper (2 gallons for 1 sheet) and cars (32,000 gallons to produce the steel for
one car). It’s important to learn more about the water footprint of your food and manufactured goods.
How much is needed?
Action Steps Each person needs about 21 gallons of water a day
for a reasonable standard of living. In the world’s
Abstain from wasting water. poorest countries, people use just 2 gallons a day to In the Bathroom
wash, clean and cook. In the U.S., the typical person
This Lent we are trying to live a more Fix leaky faucets and toilets. One drip per second
uses 100-150 gallons per day. On average, it takes:
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just and sustainable lifestyle through = 3000 gallons of wasted water per year.
voluntary Christian simplicity. Listed • 2.5 - 6 gallons per minute for a shower Installing faucet aerators saves gallons!
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below are suggestions for using water • 35 gallons for full load in the washing machine
Try reducing your shower time by 2-5 minutes.
in more thoughtful and conserving • 2-5 gallons per flush of the toilet Extra credit: install low-flow showerheads
ways. Check the box of the steps you
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• 15 gallons to run the dishwasher to save water.
can take this week.
Turning off water while brushing your teeth can
If There’s Only One Thing You Can Do … save 2 gallons per minute or around 8 gallons a day.
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Give up the Bottle If you can give up only one harmful water Doing the Laundry
habit, refrain from bottled water this Lent (and beyond).This is
Only full loads in the washing machine – and try the new cold water
an easy yet effective water-choice you can make. Consider: it’s a
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detergents. (This also cuts energy consumption. But, more about
waste of energy and resources to produce the plastic containers;
that next week.)
only 23% of them are recycled; it takes over 700 years for plastic
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to decompose. Instead, invest in a reusable aluminum or plastic Abstain from harsh detergents. Plus, eliminate toxic cleaning products
water bottle. in your home. Go natural, it’s easier on the clothes and the waterways.
In the Kitchen
This Lent, involve the dishwasher in your fasting. Wait until it’s fully
loaded before starting it; skip the pre-rinse cycle. Or, even better... Steps Continued
Consider hand-washing dishes. Available online at www.Lent45.org
Avoid wasting water by letting it run
thoughtlessly during food preparation. 1. Calculate your water footprint by going online to
www.waterfootprint.org. Learn how much water it
takes to produce an orange, a pound of chicken,
Prayer and a microchip.
2. Watch a 3-minute video on the importance of
Gracious God, you brought forth a water conservation.
fountain of living water for your
people in the desert. From the 3. Become involved in the international campaign to
hardness of our hearts, bring forth End Water Poverty, the global injustice that causes
the waters of compassion and care. millions to live without access to clean water and
Open our eyes to the water crisis of sanitation. (www.endwaterpoverty.org)
our world. Open our hearts to reduc- 4. Learn more about the privatization of water which has
ing our waste and over-consumption reduced the accessibility and affordability of water.
of your resources. Teach us to use our
5. Test your knowledge. Go online and have fun taking
sacred waters wisely.– Amen.
a Water Quiz.
Passionist Earth & Spirit Center online resources available at www.earthandspiritcenter.org
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© Copyright 2010 by Passionist Earth & Spirit Center, Louisville, KY