Encouragement
“With joy you will drink deeply from the wells of salvation.” Isaiah 12:3
There is an unquenchable thirst in the world today. It is the thirst for love, a thirst for care, a thirst for life itself and above all, a thirst to experience the grace of God. This thirst is so great that if not quenched, it can deplete the heart of hope leaving it dry.
There is no other better and refreshing drink in the world than a glass of water. To a parched man in the dry desert; it is the elixir of life. Similarly, our hearts are arid, empty and parched longing for the oasis of hope, faith and rekindling of love.
When Jesus encounters the Samaritan woman at the well; He tells her that He can give her life giving waters so that she will never be thirsty again: “The water that I shall give you will become a spring of water, welling up for eternal life.”(John 4:14). This is the water that each one of us longs for; the only drink that can quench our thirst and fill our hearts. This is a very beautiful encounter because the woman herself is eager to fill the empty space within her heart and Jesus provides the answer she is desperately seeking for. It is a very fulfilling meeting because she declares the truth about herself and in expressing her thoughts, her inner thirst is quenched. Jesus in promising her the gift of the Holy Spirit in the form of living waters fills the vacuum in her heart. We see that Jesus also reveals His true identity to her as the Christ.
Sometimes, there are many beautiful encounters in our lives which leaves a lasting impression in our hearts. Yet, at other times, somehow, though love abounds in plenty, it is never expressed and thus, even after people meet each other, in a way, they do not actually meet because the truth is never spoken and feelings are never revealed. The encounter remains incomplete.
Just as water is one of the vital elements essential for life; similarly, the living waters which Jesus promises is imperative for eternal life. In fact, Jesus himself is thirsty for our love. He longs to quench His own thirst. It is only when we turn to Him and receive Him as the life giving water in the Sacraments that His thirst is quenched as well.
There are times when we test the Lord just as the Israelites did in the desert at Meribah. Yet, God heeded to the pleas of Moses and had him strike water out of the rock to quench the thirst of the people in spite of their hardened hearts. Even today, God is still pouring graces on us when we least merit it. If only we would pay attention, “O that today, you would listen to his voice; harden not your hearts.” (Psalm 95:7b-8a)
When Jesus uttered those heart wrenching words from the cross “I thirst”; it wasn’t just a physical thirst but also an agonizing plea for the salvation of souls. He was thirsting for our love at that moment when He hung abandoned on the cross, rejected by His own people. He was thirsting for the mercy of the Father in those final painful moments of His life. It was a magnanimous thirst for the whole of mankind to return to the Father so that His purpose on the cross would be achieved. When His side was pierced on the Cross, the blood and water which flowed out was the first giving of the Holy Spirit to us; the water of the spirit and the blood for life.
Similarly, we too should be thirsty for His love and mercy; His saving grace which alone can quench our thirst. When the thirst of our heart is quenched, we will experience a great sense of peace. As St. Paul tells us: “The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7)
If we believe, we will receive what we hope for. Our own words are prophetic at times. If we read aloud Psalms 103:3,“He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases”; we can be rest assured that the Lord will definitely heal us. Every word uttered by us whether in praise, prayer, repentance or thanksgiving is carried by the angels to the throne of God. “Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and grace in our time of need.”(Hebrews 4:16)
Today, our plea to the Lord should be the same as the Samaritan woman “Lord, give me the living water so that I may live forever.” (John 4:15). We too are seeking from the well of life just as she was. The fountain of His love and grace is overflowing to fill our forlorn hearts. Jesus himself preached, “If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, from his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water”.(John 7:37-38)
His promises are without measure. As we read in Revelations 21:6, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.”
Just as in the pool of Bethsaida, when the water was stirred up every morning, a miraculous healing took place, so also, at every Eucharist, when the Holy Spirit is stirred up in our hearts, we can experience the healing touch of our Lord. Also, just as Jesus cured the man who was paralyzed for thirty years in an instant at this very pool; there are times when the Lord gives us an instant cure or He may heal us in His own time. We have to be patient and believe that His glory will eventually fall upon us and cover us to give us a fresh lease on life. "He shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes" (Revelation 7:17).
Let us approach this divine fountain; the living, eternal waters with great expectations so that we may never be thirsty again. As we sing in the heart rending hymn: “Cause me to come to Thy river, O Lord. Cause me to come; cause me to drink; cause me to live.”
Maria Franco
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