Thirst

My dear Friends in Christ,

Today’s readings help us think about desiring what we need to sustain us. The First Reading tells of how God satisfied the thirst of the Chosen People in the desert. The Psalm reminds us to let God open up our hearts and flow through them. The Second Reading tells us again that God pours Himself into our hearts. The Gospel is the story of the woman at the well, whom Jesus brings to new life through His mercy and compassion. What is the thread that ties them together? It is Water and our thirsting soul. Water helps our body to keep a normal temperature and to lubricate and cushion our joints. It helps us to get rid of waste. Our need to drink regularly is obvious; without water we would quickly die. The Israelites complained of thirst and God provided water. St. Paul tells us that, as the Savior of mankind, Jesus poured the living water of the gift of the Holy Spirit into our hearts. In the Gospel, an unclean, ostracized Samaritan woman is given the opportunity to receive the living water. For us, Jesus is the source of living water as well as the author of life-giving water. Jesus says to the woman at the well and to us that “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in Him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

The ACA has yielded $14,700 to date which is 29% of our goal of $50,000. Let’s keep the momentum going and I thank you!

May God Bless You All,

Father John