Thirst

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Thirst

Living     Water

Fill     Drink     Quench

Jesus I Am He

Wellspring

(photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   John 4: 13 to 15; 25 to 26

Jesus said to the woman, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty once more; but whoever drinks the water I shall provide will never thirst; the water I shall share will become in each one a wellspring that will lead to a life without end."

The woman responded to Jesus, "Sir, please share this water with me. Then I will never be thirsty again. I will never have to come here again to fill my water jug."

The woman then said to Jesus, "I have heard that the Messiah is coming. He is the Anointed One. When He is in our midst, He will tell us all things."

Jesus said to her, " I am He, the very one who is talking with you."

Reflection

The importance of water!

Jesus has a conversation with a woman who is coming to the well to perform a crucial task. Her family needs water.

We can be very spoiled by our access to water. It is so easy for us to obtain that we can take it for granted. We get upset when our water quality is threatened by pollution.

This woman knew what it was like to struggle to find water. She had to journey outside of her town and carry the water back to her home.

Jesus knew that this was hard for her. He pointed her, however, in a different direction. He spoke to her about our thirst----our thirst for truth, for meaning in our lives, for a sense of purpose, for fulfillment, for love.

We have deep hungers in our soul. We certainly need the water to survive; but if we have an abundance of water without meaning and purpose in our lives, we will soon dry up within.

Jesus wants to offer this woman something more. Jesus wants her to feel good about herself. Jesus wants her to know that she has a precious dignity as a human being.

Others might have made fun of her and even ignored her or left her on the margins. Jesus cared so much about her that he broke the taboos of the time about a man speaking to a woman in public.

He took time to get to know her and to share her story and to feel the pain in her heart. In the Gospel of John she is the first one to whom Jesus reveals that He is the Messiah.

In that same spirit Jesus comes to you and me today. He tells us that He wants to satisfy our deepest thirsts. He wants us to know how deeply He cares for us and Loves us.

That special Love helps us who are open to receiving it the power to minister to the thirsts of those we meet. We are called to share the living water of Jesus with them.

Drink deeply!

1. Do you take your access to water for granted?

2. What do you thirst for in your life?

3. Why do you think Jesus reveals that He is the Messiah to this woman?

4. How do you minister to the thirsts of others in your life?

5. What do you feel as you reflect on Kathy's photo?

(scripture adaptation, reflection, and questions by John J. McNamara)