Ever since I was young, water, in all its states and appearances, has always fascinated me. As I grew up, I realized that, although it is fascinating, it is a finite material resource that can be either life-giving or life-taking. On the other hand, I discovered a new fascination: water as an infinite spiritual resource. Life-giving water. In the Algarve, the region of Portugal where A Rocha’s first project sprouted 41 years ago, water is increasingly scarce. But Christ continues to flood us and to make us flourish with hope.
A deep sea covered in darkness and the Spirit hovering over the waters is how Genesis describes the earth even before creation. Water has always been here. It was synonymous with fruitfulness and abundance for Adam and Eve, with condemnation for Noah’s contemporaries, with repentance and transformation for John the Baptist at the Jordan. In the same water on which Jesus walked, Peter sank.
The same sea that was opened for Moses was closed for Pharaoh. When Jesus was born from Mary’s womb, he pierced the waters of the amniotic sac. When Jesus was pierced by the Roman soldier’s spear, blood and water flowed out. Life. And death. Our orchard here at Cruzinha, a large country house situated in the surroundings of the Ria de Alvor that is home to A Rocha’s first study and community center, mirrors this dichotomy.
The severe drought that has plagued the Algarve over the last decade has already caused several of our fruit trees to succumb (meanwhile, the never-ending lawns of the region’s golf courses would make even the gardens of Versailles jealous). In April, when we had our last rainfall of the year, we planted new trees. In June, we were delighted to hear that, for the first time in three years, some of the (little) water that had accumulated in the nearby dam would be made available to us.
With it, we filled the ponds, the cistern, watered the orchard again and life returned. Birds, amphibians, mammals, insects (including the rather unloved mosquitoes). They all came for the same reason. Will it last forever? Probably not. After all, the water that flows through the pipes of our irrigation system is just a finite material resource. Whoever drinks from this water, as Jesus would put it, "shall thirst again". Fortunately, there is also the water of the infinite spiritual resource type: "But whoever drinks of the water that I give him will never thirst, for the water that I give him will become within him a spring that gives eternal life" (John 4:13-14).
Christ’s second coming to this planet is the greatest and most important ecological act of all.
From a biblical perspective, the pain of a wounded planet on the brink of destruction is temporary and healing is already guaranteed. The world is not going to end because of a lack of water. Nor are we going to save the world because we’re good at saving water (even though we’d better be!). God is the savior, not us.
The prophet Zechariah tells us it is the Lord who sends the rain (Zechariah 10:1). Could the rain represent the tears of God? That God is sad because we are only interested in quenching our physical thirst? As stewards of creation, we have a duty to tell the world that there is a river of living water that earthly circumstances cannot dry up. Christ’s second coming to this planet is the greatest and most important ecological act of all.
Of course, this should not lead us to an attitude of neglect, laziness or alienation in the face of the present situation. We must learn to take care of the planet with urgency and, at the same time, with serenity. Every time we look after the planet, we’re telling the world that the world doesn’t end here. Every time we look after the planet, we are telling the world that there is a time when water will never run out—and yes, a little piece of future can already be experienced now.
Saving water is a drop of hope sprinkled on the world.
Saving water won’t solve the problem of water scarcity. Saving water is a drop of hope sprinkled on the world. Avoiding plastic consumption is another drop of hope. Choosing organic and local products is another. Reducing our carbon footprint is another. All over the world, A Rocha will continue to sprinkle these and other drops of hope. Until the day when the Lord of rain comes to completely solve the problem.
I want to drink from the other water and become a source of eternal life from which others drink. That’s why I accepted the challenge of running the A Rocha community center at Cruzinha. Drink with me and let’s make a toast to life and wellbeing!
Originally published by A Rocha International. Republished with permission.
Rui Lino Ramalho, his wife Débora, and their two young children moved their life from a campervan to Cruzinha, A Rocha Portugal’s field study centre in the Algarve in 2023. It is hard to imagine a more radical change but it is one their family has embraced wholeheartedly and with delight, notwithstanding the challenges.
A Rocha is a global family of conservation organizations working together to live out God’s calling to care for creation ?and equip others to do likewise. A Rocha means ‘The Rock’ in Portuguese and the initiative is present in more than 20 countries around the world. They provide a missional response to the global crisis of biodiversity loss by carrying out community-based conservation projects, aiming to protect the environment through local, community-based conservation, scientific research, and environmental education.
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