Give me a drink. Twice in the gospels Jesus says, I thirst.
Here in the encounter with the Samaritan
woman and on the Cross.
Perhaps you know that the number one killer of the
poor around the world is lack of water.
But Jesus was thirsty for more than water. He was thirsty for her love…and ours.
Imagine someone you love saying to you, I thirst for your love. How would you feel? Imagine our Lord saying to you, I thirst for your love. He does.
Our Lord continues to be thirsty for our love, and thirsty in tens of thousands of poor sisters and brothers who die from thirst…and hunger…and violence each day. He thirsts to quench their thirst for life through you and me.
Imagine someone you love saying to you, I thirst for your love. How would you feel? Imagine our Lord saying to you, I thirst for your love. He does.
Our Lord continues to be thirsty for our love, and thirsty in tens of thousands of poor sisters and brothers who die from thirst…and hunger…and violence each day. He thirsts to quench their thirst for life through you and me.
In today’s gospel we see Jesus going to Samaria…going
to the ends of the earth, as it were, to
make sure he quenches everyone’s thirst – even a Samaritan woman and
sinner.
The fact that the encounter is with a woman, a Samaritan and a sinner speaks
volumes of God’s desire to quench the thirst of all.
Two thousand years ago for
a Jewish man to speak alone to a female stranger, let alone an enemy (as
Samaritans were), and a sinner was not only unthinkable, it was taboo.
The woman was transformed…and became a transforming agent! That's what happens when we embrace another - especially an enemy - with unconditional love.
Jesus is saying to us that nothing will stop him from embracing you and me with love, from quenching our thirst – not our sins, our alienation, our religion or lack
thereof – nothing, absolutely nothing.
We’re half-way through Lent...our annual 40-day journey of faith in the ‘desert’ of our life to more fully acknowledge our thirst…and God’s.
What are we thirst for? As God thirsts for us and our love, we thirst for God...and there is a thirst in each of us to love and be loved.
Have you ever felt really thirsty...dying for a glass of water...praying even for just a sip of water?
I remember hiking in the valley of the Grand Canyon, and as the sun beat down on me, the ever-present thought was survival...having water...finding water to stay alive.
We don't usually take hikes in the desert. And water is generally so abundant that we never get that thirsty. We never need to worry about finding a glass of water. We simply take it for granted.
Even as we strive to be good and faithful, we might also be oblivious and numb to our thirst for God. We may not give it a second thought.
Before we can seek the water to quench our thirst, we must first be aware of our thirst. And when we are, we discover that...the water that quenches our thirst is love. Love is both our thirst and our water.
Our Lenten "desert" journey is first of all about becoming evermore aware of our thirst, and God's desire to quench it. And we also have to open our eyes to see the well before we can drink from it. We have to want to see the presence and love of God with us...so that God can quench our thirst.
Isn't that why we're here? That's what the Eucharist is all about. The altar, my sisters and brothers, the altar is the well where we encounter Christ...who quenches our thirst...and we quench his.
What are we thirst for? As God thirsts for us and our love, we thirst for God...and there is a thirst in each of us to love and be loved.
Have you ever felt really thirsty...dying for a glass of water...praying even for just a sip of water?
I remember hiking in the valley of the Grand Canyon, and as the sun beat down on me, the ever-present thought was survival...having water...finding water to stay alive.
We don't usually take hikes in the desert. And water is generally so abundant that we never get that thirsty. We never need to worry about finding a glass of water. We simply take it for granted.
Even as we strive to be good and faithful, we might also be oblivious and numb to our thirst for God. We may not give it a second thought.
Before we can seek the water to quench our thirst, we must first be aware of our thirst. And when we are, we discover that...the water that quenches our thirst is love. Love is both our thirst and our water.
Our Lenten "desert" journey is first of all about becoming evermore aware of our thirst, and God's desire to quench it. And we also have to open our eyes to see the well before we can drink from it. We have to want to see the presence and love of God with us...so that God can quench our thirst.
Isn't that why we're here? That's what the Eucharist is all about. The altar, my sisters and brothers, the altar is the well where we encounter Christ...who quenches our thirst...and we quench his.
A lifetime ago, studying philosophy at Loyola University in Chicago, I took a course on The Study of Religions. The main focus was to see how each religion filled the well of its faithful…quenched their thirst.
To gain better understanding, we were placed in teams of six, each team assigned to prepare a 15-minute skit on the essence of the religion assigned to it, to capture how that religion quenches the thirst of its faithful.
To gain better understanding, we were placed in teams of six, each team assigned to prepare a 15-minute skit on the essence of the religion assigned to it, to capture how that religion quenches the thirst of its faithful.
I was part of "the Catholic team”. We chose
to re-enact the Eucharistic prayer…the consecration of bread and wine...to
reflect the source and summit of our faith, and how it fills our well and quenches our thirst. We used hosts and
grape juice.
Chosen to play the part of the priest, I borrowed some vestments, a paten and chalice, a Roman Missal, and proceeded
with the prayer, after which I invited all to come forward and receive.
All but one came – an elderly African-American woman.
I said to her, Don’t be afraid. It’s just wafers and grape juice.
Her refusal was adamant. She said, Nooooo! It looked too real. Honey, I don’t
want to be changed!
In a few minutes we’ll celebrate the real
consecration. It won’t be play-acting. We will come and receive…to see and to be one with
Christ.
But will our well be filled? Will our thirst be
quenched?
Will we be transformed...and become a transforming agent?
I've learned in my life that God's plans are infinitely better than my plans. Before I had children, life was good and comfortable. My husband and I travelled a lot and we had many plans for ourselves. Then we had our first child, a daughter that was, as my parents and grandparents would say, retarded. Then came the years of medical tests, procedures, hospitalization, health scares, therapies, etc. it. We didn't dare look to the next week or month. Jump to the present-- it's been 14 years, and I see this beautiful child as God's special gift to us. She has brought depth and insight where I had none before. Because of her, I was inspired to go to nursing school, and in my work now, I have a compassion that I'm sure I would not have had if she had not come into our lives. God has definitely provided every single step of the way. Where things or situations seemed hopeless or insurmountable, a solution would always appear. The only thing required of me was and is to TRUST, to have FAITH. God's way is a lot simpler than my way.
ReplyDeleteApologies--this comment/reply was supposed to go with the previous week's blog, the one entitled "Take Heart"... :)
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