Psalm 42,1
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, “Where is your God?
In both the first reading and the Gospel, we hear about people who are thirsty. The people in the desert cry out to Moses for water. Jesus asks the woman at the well for a drink. While thirst is a natural part of our daily lives, in the Scriptures it is sometimes used to speak to the longing in our spirits for union with God. Our bodies naturally hunger and thirst, but so do our souls.
It makes perfect sense if we really think about it. The Church teaches that the very reason we were created is to know, love, and serve God. If we are not striving to fulfill that purpose, then there will be a lack, or emptiness, in our hearts. Throughout history, as we have considered the human experience, we have learned that full bellies and mugs full of drink are not enough to make a person truly happy. While we have physical needs that occupy much of our attention, we also seem to have a common longing for something beyond our appetites that can only be satisfied with something larger than ourselves. As followers of Jesus, we understand that union with God – in fellowship and communion with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – is the only way for us to be who we were created to be.
Jesus uses his encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well to reveal to her that he is the only one who can satisfy the thirst that drives her. However, she ended up in this place, she has clearly not found peace and fulfillment in her life. Jesus draws upon the image of thirsting to share with her that he is the Messiah; if she becomes his disciple, she will never thirst again. All her life she had been longing for someone who would bring actual love and joy to her. Jesus reveals to her, and to us, that he is the only one who can quench that consuming thirst deep within our
spirit.
Our Gospel today calls us to drink from the well of Jesus’ love. It is only in his love that we can quench our thirst and find our lives fulfilled. (written by Faith Catholic)
It’s been a blessing walking with you through Lent 2023. Following the three Lenten disciplines: prayer, fasting and almsgiving is the way to know who our God is and who we truly are in His eyes. We have many prayer opportunities in our church: daily Mass and confession, every Friday – all day Eucharistic Adoration followed by the Stations of the Cross, every day you can come for private prayer before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. But do not forget about your daily prayers. God is with us always and He wants us to keep that loving relationship with Him always and everywhere. I am pretty sure that you have been also practicing the works of mercy (almsgiving) during this Lenten season. As Jesus says, we will always have poor people around us. Keep your eyes open. And the third one is fasting. When you fast do not think only about the physical benefits of it, but also the spiritual. In giving less to our body we give more to our soul.
Whatever you this Lenten Season, whatever your Lenten discipline is do this joyfully. Because as the Scripture says: “God loves a cheerful giver.” Fr. Tom