A comprehensive exploration of the Catholic obligation to provide water and drink to those in need, from apostolic times to the present day
Rooted in Scripture from Genesis to Revelation
Two millennia of Catholic teaching and practice
Contemporary ways to practice this work of mercy
To give drink to the thirsty is the second Corporal Work of Mercy, a binding obligation of Christian charity that commands the faithful to provide water, drink, and other necessary liquids to those who suffer from physical thirst or lack access to clean water. This work of mercy extends to all forms of relieving thirst: offering a cup of water to a traveler, digging wells in arid regions, supporting clean water initiatives, and ensuring that the poor, sick, elderly, and vulnerable have access to hydration necessary for life.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that "the works of mercy are charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbor in his spiritual and bodily necessities" (CCC 2447). The obligation to give drink to the thirsty arises from the natural law inscribed in the human heart, the explicit command of Christ in Matthew 25:35, and the constant teaching and practice of the Catholic Church throughout the centuries.
Water is essential to human life. Without it, the human body dies within days. Throughout salvation history, God has used water as both a physical necessity and a spiritual symbol: the waters of creation (Genesis 1:2), the flood (Genesis 6-9), the crossing of the Red Sea (Exodus 14), the water from the rock (Exodus 17:6), the water that Christ offers the Samaritan woman (John 4:10-14), and the water flowing from Christ's side on the Cross (John 19:34). The Catholic who gives drink to the thirsty participates in God's providential care for His creatures and imitates Christ, who is Himself the Living Water.
"I was thirsty and you gave me drink."
— Matthew 25:35 (RSV-CE)
The Second Vatican Council reaffirmed the Church's commitment to corporal works of mercy, stating that Christians are called to "relieve the needs of the poor" and to "assist those in misery" (Gaudium et Spes, 69). Pope Francis has repeatedly emphasized the urgency of ensuring access to clean water as a fundamental human right and a Catholic moral obligation. In Laudato Si' (2015), he wrote: "Access to safe drinkable water is a basic and universal human right, since it is essential to human survival and, as such, is a condition for the exercise of other human rights" (§30).
This work of mercy is not optional. It is a divine command, a requirement of justice and charity, and a means by which Catholics encounter Christ in the person of the thirsty. As Christ declares in Matthew 25:40: "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me."
The duty to provide water appears early in salvation history. Abraham's servant prays for guidance at a well, and Rebekah provides water for him and his camels, an act of hospitality that leads to her marriage to Isaac (Genesis 24:11-20). Moses provides water for the Israelites at Horeb when God commands him to strike the rock: "Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, that the people may drink" (Exodus 17:6, RSV-CE).
The Prophets repeatedly connect water with divine mercy and justice. Isaiah prophesies: "With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation" (Isaiah 12:3). Jeremiah condemns those who "have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters" (Jeremiah 2:13). The Psalmist declares: "As a hart longs for flowing streams, so longs my soul for thee, O God" (Psalm 42:1).
The Book of Proverbs commands: "If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink" (Proverbs 25:21, RSV-CE)—a precept that St. Paul repeats in Romans 12:20.
Christ Himself establishes giving drink to the thirsty as a criterion for eternal salvation. In the parable of the Last Judgment, He declares: "I was thirsty and you gave me drink... Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me" (Matthew 25:35, 40, RSV-CE). This passage has formed the theological and moral foundation for Catholic charity for two thousand years.
Christ identifies Himself as the source of Living Water. To the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well, He says: "Every one who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life" (John 4:13-14, RSV-CE).
On the Cross, Christ cries out: "I thirst" (John 19:28)—a cry that unites His physical suffering with humanity's spiritual thirst for God. In His thirst, Christ sanctifies all human thirst and commands His followers to relieve it in others. St. Paul writes: "If your enemy is thirsty, give him drink" (Romans 12:20), reinforcing the universal obligation of Christian charity.
The obligation to give drink to the thirsty flows from three interrelated principles:
This is not sentimental humanitarianism. It is Catholic dogma grounded in Scripture, Tradition, and the constant teaching of the Magisterium. The Catholic who refuses to give drink to the thirsty when it is within his power to do so commits a sin of omission and places his soul in mortal danger.
Scriptural References (USCCB):
Genesis 24:11-20, Exodus 17:6, Psalm 42:1, Isaiah 12:3, Jeremiah 2:13, Proverbs 25:21, Matthew 25:35-40, John 4:13-14, John 19:28, Romans 12:20
From the apostolic age through the age of persecution, the Church practiced this work of mercy as a mark of Christian identity
The earliest Christians took Christ's command literally and immediately. The Didache (c. AD 70–110), one of the oldest Christian texts outside the New Testament, instructs: "Give to everyone who asks you, and do not refuse, for the Father's will is that we give to all from the gifts we have received" (§1.5). This principle extended explicitly to providing water and drink to those in need.
St. Justin Martyr (c. AD 100–165) describes the weekly Sunday liturgy in Rome, noting that after the Eucharist, "those who are prosperous, and who so wish, contribute, each one as much as he chooses to. What is collected is deposited with the president, and he takes care of orphans and widows, and those who are in bonds, and the strangers who are sojourners among us, and, briefly, he is the guardian of all those in need" (First Apology, 67). This charity included providing water to travelers, prisoners, and the sick.
"We who once took most pleasure in the means of increasing our wealth now bring what we have into a common fund and share with everyone in need. We who hated and killed one another now live together and share the same table. We pray for our enemies and try to win those who hate us."
— St. Justin Martyr, First Apology, §14 (c. AD 155)
Tertullian (c. AD 155–220), writing in North Africa, describes the Christian community's charitable practices: "Even if there is a treasury of a sort, it is not made up of money paid in entrance fees, as if religion were a matter of contract. Every man once a month brings some modest coin—or whenever he wishes, and only if he does wish, and if he can; for no one is compelled; it is a voluntary offering… to feed the poor and to bury them, for boys and girls who lack property and parents" (Apology, 39). Tertullian's testimony confirms that providing for basic necessities, including water and drink, was a defining characteristic of Christian communities in the second and third centuries.
During the Decian persecution (AD 250–251), many Christians were imprisoned, and the Church organized relief efforts to provide food, water, and care to those in chains. St. Cyprian of Carthage (c. AD 200–258) records that the Church collected funds specifically to send water, food, and clothing to imprisoned Christians: "A sum has been collected… and sent to refresh those who are in bonds, and oppressed with want and sickness" (Epistle 5.1).
"He that has mercy on the poor, lends to the Lord. He who gives to the least, gives to God."
— St. Cyprian of Carthage, On Works and Alms, §15 (c. AD 253)
After the legalization of Christianity under Constantine (AD 313), the Church expanded its charitable infrastructure. St. Basil the Great (c. AD 330–379) established the Basiliad, a massive complex outside Caesarea in Cappadocia that included a hospital, hospice for travelers, and facilities for the poor. Water was provided freely to all who came, and Basil organized a system of aqueducts and wells to ensure that no one in the region suffered from thirst.
St. John Chrysostom (c. AD 347–407), Patriarch of Constantinople, preached frequently on the duty to relieve the thirst of the poor. In a homily on Matthew 25, he declared: "When you see a poor man, do not merely pass him by, but offer him drink, offer him food, offer him shelter. And if you cannot do this, at least speak to him kindly, for even a kind word is a work of mercy."
By the end of the fourth century, the practice of giving drink to the thirsty was firmly established as a universal obligation of Catholic charity. Bishops, priests, deacons, and laypeople organized systematic relief efforts, built cisterns and wells, and ensured that travelers, pilgrims, prisoners, and the poor had access to clean water. This was not a peripheral concern—it was central to what it meant to be a Christian.
A thousand years of institutional growth, monastic innovation, and systematic Catholic charity
The fall of the Roman Empire (AD 476) did not diminish the Church's commitment to corporal works of mercy—it intensified it. As civil infrastructure collapsed across Western Europe, the Catholic Church became the primary provider of social services, including water distribution, well construction, and care for travelers and pilgrims.
Benedictine monasteries (founded c. AD 529) became centers of agricultural innovation and water management. The Rule of St. Benedict mandated hospitality to all travelers: "Let all guests who arrive be received like Christ… Let a separate kitchen be assigned to the abbot and guests, so that guests, who are never lacking in a monastery, may not disturb the brothers" (Chapter 53). Every Benedictine monastery maintained cisterns, wells, and water supplies for guests, pilgrims, and the local poor.
"All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ, for he himself will say: 'I was a stranger and you welcomed me.'"
— St. Benedict, Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter 53 (c. AD 530)
The Cistercian Order (founded AD 1098) developed advanced hydraulic engineering. Cistercian monasteries built aqueducts, watermills, and irrigation systems throughout Europe. At Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire, England (founded AD 1132), the monks constructed an elaborate network of channels and reservoirs to provide fresh water to the monastery, the infirmary, and the surrounding villages. Similar systems existed at Clairvaux (France), Maulbronn (Germany), and hundreds of other Cistercian foundations.
Medieval Catholic hospitals were founded explicitly to fulfill the Corporal Works of Mercy. The Hospital of the Holy Spirit in Rome, established by Pope Innocent III in AD 1198, provided food, water, and medical care to the sick poor. Its charter stated that patients were to be "received as Christ Himself" and given "bread, water, wine, and whatever is necessary for the body."
The Knights Hospitaller (Order of St. John), founded c. AD 1099 in Jerusalem, operated hospitals throughout the Crusader states and Europe. Their primary mission was to provide food, water, and medical care to pilgrims traveling to the Holy Land. The order's hospital in Jerusalem could accommodate up to 2,000 patients and maintained extensive water storage and distribution systems.
In Paris, the Hôtel-Dieu (founded c. AD 651) expanded significantly in the 12th and 13th centuries under the direction of St. Louis IX (King Louis IX of France, reigned 1226–1270). St. Louis personally visited the sick, brought them water, and endowed the hospital with lands and revenues to ensure perpetual care for the poor.
Lay confraternities dedicated to the Corporal Works of Mercy emerged across Catholic Europe in the High Middle Ages. The Confraternity of Mercy in Florence (founded c. AD 1240) operated public fountains and distributed water to the poor during summer droughts. Similar confraternities existed in Siena, Venice, Genoa, and other Italian city-states.
In Spain, the Hermandades de la Misericordia (Brotherhoods of Mercy) built public wells and cisterns in towns and villages. These organizations were supported by donations, tithes, and municipal funds, and they operated under the supervision of local bishops.
Parishes and monasteries constructed and maintained public water sources for communities
Stations along major pilgrimage routes provided water and rest for travelers
St. Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) provided the definitive theological treatment of the Corporal Works of Mercy in the Summa Theologiae. He argues that corporal almsgiving, including giving drink to the thirsty, is a matter of precept (divine command) and not merely counsel (voluntary advice). Aquinas writes:
"It is a matter of precept that man should succor his neighbor in his necessity out of that which he has in superabundance... Whoever has the necessaries of life in superabundance is bound by the natural law to give them to the poor for their sustenance."
— St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae II-II, Q. 32, Art. 5 (c. AD 1270)
By the end of the Middle Ages, the obligation to give drink to the thirsty was firmly embedded in Catholic moral theology, canon law, liturgical practice, and institutional charity. The Church had constructed a vast network of wells, fountains, hospitals, hospices, and rest stations across Christendom, ensuring that no Christian would die of thirst if the Church could prevent it.
From the Council of Trent through Vatican II to the present day
The Council of Trent (1545–1563) reaffirmed the doctrine of justification by faith working through charity, emphasizing that faith without works is dead (James 2:26). The Council explicitly taught that the Corporal Works of Mercy are obligatory for Catholics and are essential to salvation. In the Decree on Justification (Session VI, 1547), the Council declared that "faith cooperates with good works" and that "charity is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit" to produce acts of mercy.
St. Vincent de Paul (1581–1660) founded the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians) and the Daughters of Charity to serve the poor. The Daughters of Charity operated hospitals, orphanages, and relief stations throughout France and beyond, providing food, water, and medical care to the destitute. St. Vincent wrote: "The poor are our masters. We must love them and honor them as such."
St. Camillus de Lellis (1550–1614) founded the Order of the Ministers of the Sick (Camillians) in 1582. The order's members took a fourth vow to serve the sick, even during times of plague. Camillian hospitals provided water, food, and nursing care to patients, and St. Camillus personally tended to those dying of thirst during epidemics in Rome.
Catholic missionaries carried the practice of giving drink to the thirsty to every continent. In the Americas, Spanish Franciscans and Jesuits built elaborate irrigation systems and aqueducts to bring water to native populations in California, New Mexico, Texas, and South America. The missions at San Juan Capistrano (California, 1776), San Antonio de Padua (California, 1771), and dozens of others included sophisticated water management systems designed to serve both the mission community and surrounding indigenous peoples.
In Africa, Catholic missionaries dug wells and established water stations along trade routes to combat the devastating effects of drought and disease. The White Fathers (Society of Missionaries of Africa), founded by Cardinal Charles Lavigerie in 1868, made clean water access a central component of their missionary work in North and Central Africa.
"We must love our neighbor as being made in the image of God and as an object of His love."
— St. Vincent de Paul (c. 1640)
The Second Vatican Council (1962–1965) called Catholics to renewed engagement with the modern world, particularly in addressing poverty and social injustice. Gaudium et Spes (1965) declared that "the joys and hopes, the grief and anguish of the people of our time, especially of those who are poor or afflicted, are the joys and hopes, the grief and anguish of the followers of Christ" (§1). The Council affirmed that corporal works of mercy are not optional acts of piety but binding obligations of Christian discipleship.
Pope Paul VI's encyclical Populorum Progressio (1967) addressed global poverty and the obligation of wealthy nations to assist developing countries, including ensuring access to clean water. Pope John Paul II's encyclical Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (1987) identified lack of access to clean water as a grave injustice and called for international cooperation to remedy it.
Catholic Relief Services (CRS), founded in 1943, is one of the world's largest humanitarian organizations. CRS operates clean water and sanitation projects in over 100 countries, providing millions of people with access to safe drinking water through well construction, water purification systems, and hygiene education.
Caritas Internationalis, a confederation of 165 Catholic relief organizations, coordinates global efforts to provide water access in disaster zones, refugee camps, and impoverished regions. Caritas projects have built thousands of wells, water pumps, and filtration systems across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Pope Francis has made water access a central theme of his pontificate. In Laudato Si' (2015), he wrote: "Access to safe drinkable water is a basic and universal human right, since it is essential to human survival and, as such, is a condition for the exercise of other human rights" (§30). He has called for global cooperation to ensure that all people, particularly the poor, have access to clean water, and he has condemned the commodification of water as a violation of human dignity.
"Water poverty especially affects Africa, where large sectors of the population have no access to safe drinking water... This shows that water is an issue of primary importance which needs to be seriously addressed."
— Pope Francis, Laudato Si', §28 (2015)
Today, Catholic parishes, dioceses, religious orders, and lay organizations worldwide continue to fulfill the command to give drink to the thirsty through direct service, advocacy, and systemic reform. From parish water drives to international development projects, the Catholic Church remains the largest private provider of water access initiatives globally.
The doctrinal foundations of giving drink to the thirsty in Catholic teaching
The Catholic Church's teaching on giving drink to the thirsty is not based on sentimentalism or humanitarian ethics alone. It is rooted in five interlocking theological principles that bind the conscience of every Catholic:
Christ's words in Matthew 25:35–40 are not suggestions—they are commands. "I was thirsty and you gave me drink" is stated as a criterion for final judgment. Those who give drink to the thirsty are welcomed into eternal life; those who refuse are condemned to eternal punishment. This is not metaphor; it is Catholic dogma. The obligation to relieve thirst is therefore a matter of divine law, binding on all believers under pain of sin.
The doctrine of the Mystical Body of Christ teaches that all Christians are united to Christ and to one another through baptism. St. Paul writes: "Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it" (1 Corinthians 12:27). When a Catholic gives drink to a thirsty person, he gives drink to Christ Himself, mystically present in the suffering person. This is not pious symbolism—it is sacramental reality.
St. Thomas Aquinas argues that the duty to relieve extreme necessity flows from the natural law, which is inscribed in the human conscience by God. To deny water to someone dying of thirst is a violation of natural justice and a sin against human dignity. Catholics are bound by both divine positive law (Scripture) and natural law to give drink to the thirsty whenever it is within their power to do so.
Charity (Latin: caritas) is the theological virtue by which we love God above all things and love our neighbor for God's sake. The Catechism teaches that "charity is the soul of the holiness to which all are called" (CCC 826). To give drink to the thirsty is an act of supernatural charity, meritorious for salvation, and pleasing to God. Without charity, faith is dead (James 2:17).
In Catholic theology, water functions on two levels: natural and supernatural. Physically, water sustains biological life. Spiritually, water signifies grace, purification, and eternal life. In baptism, water cleanses the soul from original sin. In John 4, Christ offers "living water" that becomes "a spring of water welling up to eternal life." The Catholic who gives natural water to the thirsty participates in God's life-giving power and points toward the supernatural water of grace that alone can satisfy the soul's deepest thirst.
Catholic moral theology distinguishes between counsel (voluntary acts of perfection) and precept (obligatory commands). Giving drink to the thirsty is a precept when:
Under these conditions, failure to act is a grave sin (mortal sin if all conditions for mortal sin are met: grave matter, full knowledge, deliberate consent). Even when extreme necessity is not present, Catholics are encouraged to give generously to those who ask, following Christ's command: "Give to him who begs from you" (Matthew 5:42).
In summary: Giving drink to the thirsty is a divinely commanded act of mercy, rooted in Scripture, natural law, and the doctrine of the Mystical Body. It is a manifestation of supernatural charity, a participation in God's providence, and a sacramental encounter with Christ. The Catholic who fulfills this duty imitates Christ, advances in holiness, and stores up treasure in heaven.
Concrete ways Catholics can fulfill this work of mercy in the 21st century
The obligation to give drink to the thirsty did not end with the Middle Ages. It continues today, adapted to modern contexts but unchanged in its essential character. Here are practical ways Catholics can live this work of mercy:
Provide free water stations for employees, customers, and passersby. Ensure outdoor workers have access to hydration, especially during extreme heat.
Volunteer medical skills to support clean water initiatives in underserved areas. Advocate for patients' access to safe drinking water.
Teach students about global water crises and Catholic social teaching. Organize school fundraisers for clean water projects.
Volunteer technical expertise to design and maintain water systems for missions, parishes, and NGOs serving the poor.
Catholics should also pray for those who lack access to clean water, offering Masses and Rosaries for their relief. During Lent, consider fasting from beverages other than water and donating the saved money to clean water projects. Meditate on Christ's words from the Cross—"I thirst"—and unite your own small sacrifices to His redemptive suffering.
Remember: Every act of mercy, no matter how small, is an encounter with Christ and a step toward eternal life.
Giving drink to the thirsty is not a peripheral concern of Catholic morality—it is a divine command rooted in Scripture, affirmed by Tradition, and binding on the conscience of every believer. From the earliest Christian communities of the first century through the medieval hospitals and monastic aqueducts, to the global water initiatives of Catholic Relief Services and Caritas today, the Church has consistently practiced this work of mercy as a non-negotiable obligation of faith.
Water is essential to human life. To deny it to those in need is to deny them life itself. Christ's words in Matthew 25:35—"I was thirsty and you gave me drink"—establish this act as a criterion for eternal salvation. The Catholic who gives drink to the thirsty imitates Christ, participates in His redemptive mission, and encounters Him mystically present in the suffering neighbor.
The theological foundations are clear: divine command, natural law, the doctrine of the Mystical Body, supernatural charity, and the sacramental significance of water. These principles converge to form an unambiguous moral obligation: Catholics must relieve thirst whenever it is within their power to do so, whether by direct service, charitable giving, advocacy, or systemic reform.
This work of mercy is not optional. It is a requirement of justice, charity, and faith. As Pope Francis has declared, access to clean water is a fundamental human right and a Catholic moral imperative. The Church calls all Catholics to give generously, act compassionately, and work tirelessly to ensure that no human being suffers from thirst when relief is possible. In doing so, we fulfill Christ's command and store up treasure in heaven.
The Living Water
"Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never
thirst."
— John 4:14