Saturday, March 22, 2014

Never Thirst


By Rev. Joe McCloskey, SJ

Strike the rock, and the water will flow from it for the people to drink.”  This Moses did, in the presence of the elders of Israel.  The place was called Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled there and tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD in our midst or not?”  Exodus 3:6b-7

Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person, though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die.  But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.  Romans 5:7-8

Jesus answered and said to her, “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 woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.”  John 4:13-15

Piety
Our piety is how we have heard the voice of our Lord and it is our response.  The growth of our piety is through our drinking deeply of the word of the Lord and how the word of the Lord changes us.  The Woman at the well came for water and went away with the gift of everlasting life.  Piety flows out of our thirst for the Lord.  How we love the Lord more than anything else in our lives is the fullness of piety.  Christ is forever waiting for us at the well of God’s everlasting life.  There is no limit on what he is offering us other than our thirst and how much of God’s love we are willing to partake.  Our piety determines how deeply we drink.

Study
Our study is the curiosity of our souls being satisfied.  We are born with a desire to know.  Wisdom reveals to us what we are really searching.  Our hearts will never rest until they rest in the Lord.  We are created to the image and the likeness of God and until we realize ourselves in Christ we will never know for what it is that are hearts are yearning.  Study allows us to stay with the Lord and thus we come to believe because of our exposure to his love.

Action
The good things we do allow us to hear the Lord.  Putting ourselves close to the Lord is the best action to take. Reading the Scripture is important.  Asking the right questions of those we admire for their relationship with the Lord, helps.  Making visits to the Blessed Sacrament gives the Lord a chance to talk with us.  The best action of our lives will be seen in the space we give the Lord in our lives.  The grumbling of the Israelites was turned into the prayer of Moses for help.  Our actions need to take us to the Lord.  We need to drink as deeply as they did with the knowledge of their thirst.  We have to honor the thirsts of our souls for the Lord by doing something about it.  We need to soften our hearts to the voice of the Lord.  Prayer fasting and good works are what is called for if we open our hearts to hear the voice of the Lord.  It is important to give the Lord a chance to speak to us.  He is waiting and the time we plan to give him is the first step on our road to walk with the Lord.  We need to feed the desire of our hearts for the Lord by the ways we choose to be with him. 

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