From the Gospel: From a single drop to a river
We are called to reject the logic of domination and instead embrace the way of peace, compassion and hope
14th Sunday in ordinary time. Today’s readings: Zechariah 9:9-10; Psalm 145: 1-14; Romans 8:9-13; Matthew 11:25-30
There are Rivers in the Sky, by Elif ShafakElif Shafak’s There are Rivers in the Sky (2024) brings together in one narrative three independent stories – one situated in the 19th century and two in the 20th. The stories flow naturally from an introductory story titled ‘By the River Tigris, in olden times’. Revolving around water and rivers, the three stories unfold into five sections: I. Raindrop; II. Mysteries of Water; III. Restless River; IV. Memories of Water; V. Flood. The central section focuses on the theme of a river that is restless.
In the novel, the river is far more than a geographical feature. The waters of the Tigris become a living witness to history, carrying memories of empires, displacement, violence and hope across centuries in human history and civilisation. Shafak manages to show, through the interconnected lives of its characters, that human beings, nature and history are inseparable. Every action leaves traces, just as every drop of water joins a greater current.
Through these narratives readers of There are Rivers in the Sky are prompted to ask what kind of future humanity is creating and projecting, especially when war, environmental degradation and the exploitation of both people and creation continue to threaten “our common home” (Laudato sì). These questions arise also from the history of every character, “a single drop of rain”, and from human history, the rivers witnessing humanity’s recurring cycles of violence and domination.
Humanity is invited not to forget the wounds of history, but to remember them and heal them through our choices and actions inspired by God’s reign
“Water remembers. It is humans who forget.” Precisely because of forgetfulness, humanity keeps going in circles swirling into those same cycles. The preservation of memory expressed in terms of consideration of rivers consequentially enables us to care for humanity itself and creation. In this view, rivers are not merely resources to be exploited or suppressed but living streams of water deserving respect, calling for collective and individual responsibility over exploitative and irresponsible choices, which cause suffering ans destruction. Consequentially, the displaced and the forgotten become the protagonists preserving the deepest truths about humanity and history. Their actions and choices become sources of life.
In today’s liturgy, the prophet Zechariah reveals God’s desire to transform destructive cycles through humility and peace, announcing the arrival of a king who overturns worldly power. Unlike sovereigns throughout history, he comes humbly, riding on a donkey, extending God’s reign, not by conquest but by peace extending “from the river to the ends of the earth”.
Zechariah’s river in the prophecy evokes both the life-giving presence of God who is “gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness” (Ps 145) and the universal reach of the reign of compassion embracing all of creation, which reflects God’s goodness.
Christians recognise in Jesus Christ the promised king announced by Zechariah. The Gospel brings prophecy to its fulfilment in Christ, who offers peace rooted in humility, trust and communion with God. The mysteries of the reign, Jesus shows, are not revealed to the powerful or self-assured but to the “little ones”, “who labour and are burdened”. It is to these that Jesus Christ, unlike worldly sovereigns, promises rest, welcoming them, investing them and inviting them to remember that suffering does not have the final word.
However, for this to become reality, humanity is invited not to forget the wounds of history but to remember them and heal them through our choices and actions inspired by God’s reign. Waters shape our own lives. Like the waters of the Tigris River in Shafak’s novel, our choices ripple beyond ourselves, affecting future generations and the world. Invested with the power to serve, entrusted with the service of Christ, the humble king, we are called to reject the logic of domination and instead to embrace the way of peace, compassion and hope. Only then can the rivers of history become channels not of destruction but of the abundant life God desires for all of creation.
