In our first reading, an angel shows the prophet Ezekiel the healing properties of a river that flowed by the east side of the temple. The River only grew in intensity, yet it flowed from the Temple. The further he was escorted through it, the deeper it got—from ankle-deep to knee-deep to the depth of his waist and then to a depth that could only be traversed by swimming, Ezekiel is made to understand by the angel that wherever this river flows it brings life which was attested to by the lush vegetation and plant life sprinting forth on both sides of the river. The river, therefore, is a beautiful symbol of Christ, who alone can bring us life in abundance. “If you only knew the free gift of God and who it is that is asking you for water, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” As the living water flowed from the Temple as its origin, in Christ, the river flows from the Lord of the Temple. The grace he wished to bestow on the Samaritan woman by the well, is the same grace he continually offers us, and has given us gifts like the sacraments as conduits of that grace so as to bestow on us the fullness of life.