There are many images of the Church as a sign of salvation.
It can be like a ship in tumultuous water.
It can be like a lamp shining in the dark.
It can be like an anchor that will be needed to keep a ship stable.
The 1st reading gives the image of the Temple with a stream that came out from under the Temple threshold, with waters flowing.
As the waters flow towards the sea, animals drink of it.
Fish is plentiful, the waters bring health, and life teems wherever the waters flow.
Fruit trees grow on either side of the banks, with fruits good and plentiful and even the leaves are medicinal.
It is a wonderful image of the Church as a sign of salvation, and with God’s blessings flowing from the Church to all those who seek for salvation.
But it must also be remembered that there are some people, like the man with the illness and lying on his mat for 38 years, who are unable, for some reason, to encounter and experience the saving love of Jesus.
May we be sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit to know who they are and to lead them to Jesus so that they will experience the joy of salvation.