Resplendent and unfading is wisdom, and she is readily perceived by those who love her, and found by those who seek her. She hastens to make herself known in anticipation of their desire; Whoever watches for her at dawn shall not be disappointed, for he shall find her sitting by his gate. Wisdom 6:12-14
While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked. Afterwards, the other virgins came and said, 'Lord, Lord, open the door for us!' But he said in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.' Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour." Matthew 25:10-13
Piety
O God, you are my God—it is you I seek! For you my body yearns; for you my soul thirsts, in a land parched, lifeless, and without water. I look to you in the sanctuary to see your power and glory. For your love is better than life; my lips shall ever praise you! (Psalm 63:2-4)
Study
The Psalmist reminds us that our soul thirsts for God. “My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.” (Psalm 62:2b)
What exactly is thirst?
People can go without food for a while but they cannot do the same without water. In a harsh environment — let’s imagine that you are stranded in a snowstorm far away from any town or farmhouse. The first priority is to find someplace to make your home. Experts estimate that you can only survive for 3 hours without shelter. Where will you abide?
After 3 days, you need water or you'll perish. How will you quench your thirst? You cannot live without something to drink. You will literally die of thirst if that need is not quenched. That is why it is such a miracle when people are pulled from the rubble of a collapsed building two weeks after an earthquake.
The Parable of the Ten Virgins, unique to Matthew’s Gospel, tells us that all the virgins, wise and foolish, fall asleep. However, the wise virgins are adequately equipped for their task ahead. The commandment to “Stay awake!” may mean no more than to be prepared at your Boy Scout finest.
If we are thirsty, we need to keep something handy to quickly quench that desire for liquids. Thus, the Psalmist reminds us that we cannot go weeks on end without a plan to put ourselves in the presence of God and quench our thirst for spiritual sustenance. For some, they may get the presence of God alone in the woods. For others, they may only get that in church. For others, they only get it in acts of communal love with other people. Where do you sense your moment closest to Christ?
Jesus used this exact word at least twice. First, when he encountered the Samaritan Woman at the Well and offered to her the water of everlasting life to quench her thirst.
Unlike the disciples who scattered at the sign of trouble with the Romans, the Samaritan woman took his Word to heart. She left her water jar behind to call her neighbors to get to know Jesus.
The other time we hear Jesus utter the phrase is on the cross. It is among his final words. On this day, he was first offered a wine mixed with the narcotic myrrh, which would have dulled his senses to some of the pain of execution on the cross. He did not need this. He was prepared to endure what would happen.
Then, while hanging nailed to the cross, he said, “I thirst.” Again, they thought too literally and someone dipped a sponge into wine and put it on a stick to reach his mouth. No longer needing the wine of this world, Jesus declared that his life and passion was over. “It is finished” and commanded his spirit back to his Father with whom thirsted to be reunited.
Action
For what do you thirst? A new house? A new job? A special food? The company of a special person? Medicine?
For what do the people around us thirst? Remember Jesus and Mary at Cana. They were not concerned about themselves but about the host and his guests. At the Wedding Feast, we encounter Jesus as one who listens to others and expects us to listen to their needs above our as well.
Mary responds – even though she does not have the means or materials to solve the problem. But she knows Jesus does. When Jesus sees how troubled his mother is with the concerns of the people around her, his own agenda flies out the window.
Sr. Joan reminds us that (once again) the scene at Cana turns the values of the
world upside-down. “There is no project so important, no achievement so significant that we have a right to it at the expense of the individuals around us.
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| The Wedding at Cana: A Model of Humanity |
“To guarantee order in the streets does not give the police the right to abuse individual marchers. To build a great business does not give an owner the right to pay unjust wages to illiterate workers. To be an effective parent does not mean we can beat our children. The individual has a place in the heart of God and so must have that same place with us.”[i]
We never know when any of the above will be taken from us. We have to prepare ourselves by relying on God alone for satisfaction and always being attentive to the needs of thirsty people around us – even if that thirst is not for only water.
Mary, woman of a listening heart, be with us.
[i] “In Pursuit of Peace: Praying the Rosary Through the Psalms” by Joan D. Chittister, OSB. Erie, Pennsylvania. 1992. Pax Christi USA.
Image credit: From the above pamphlet, by Mary Southard, CSJ, a Sister of St. Joseph of LaGrange, Illinois. Mary's work can be seen at http://www.marysouthardart.org/
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