The random thoughts of a Christian parrot
I absolutely love having a good bath whenever the opportunity presents itself. Officially, I’m meant to use a special jug located on the kitchen sink.
But when the humans that I live with sit down to have a meal, I simply can’t help myself. I use their water glasses instead! And because I like to spray the water absolutely everywhere, they end up getting as wet as I do. I suppose this makes me like a parrot version of an over-eager priest sprinkling their congregation with Holy Water. (Although my family of humans receive their “Holy Water” whether they want it or not, and it doesn’t always receive a very “Holy” response from them).
Of course, water is something we can all take for granted, both in the UK and elsewhere. But without it, I wonder how we, or anything else could be made clean? All of us need to be cleansed and purified, not only in a physical sense, but also in a spiritual one. Holy Water and Baptism provide a symbolic way of washing away our sins, but the real spiritual water of life is Jesus. He’s the one that ultimately purifies us and makes us fit for Heaven. And that’s what Jesus explains to the Samaritan woman when they meet by the well.
“Everyone who drinks this (well) water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst again. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4,13-14)
Of course, it’s not every family of humans that comes to the dinner table wearing their raincoats and waterproofs. But I think that soaking them regularly is a really good thing to do, even if they don’t realise it. For without me there, would they ever stop to think about the real water of life ?
