“There is a deep-lying thirst in everyone which can only be quenched by God and the salvation He promises. Only the water given by Christ can quench that eternal thirst. Christ’s thirst is an entryway to the mystery of God, who became thirsty to satisfy our thirst, just as he became poor to make us rich. Yes, God thirsts for our faith and our love. Let it be known that false religious ideologies are incapable of satiating the deep-seated desire of our heart to attain God” (Pope Benedict XVI, Angelus Homily, 24 February 2008).
An Archbishop in Paris started his homily by sharing a rather strange story: A group of boys came to Notre Dame Cathedral a few years ago and stood outside of the confessional box, betting who was brave enough to go in and make a mock confession. One of them, who happened to be Jewish, took up the challenge. He confessed some of the most heinous sins that a man could ever do, to fool the priest. Before granting absolution, the confessor gave him a penance: “Go in front of the Crucifix, look at the crucifix, and say, “Lord, you died for me, but I didn’t even care!” As the boy, quite indifferently, repeated those words, he saw the bleeding face of Christ on the crucifix beginning to tear up. Still in shock, the boy uttered: “Lord, you died for me, but I didn’t even care. Sorry!” He then returned to the priest and shared what happened, and the priest helped him make a proper confession. The Archbishop concluded by saying, “I’m that boy!” – Archbishop Jean-Marie Lustiger.
God is looking for you even in the moments when you want to run away from Him. He searches for you so that you may search for Him. While we may be familiar with our search or thirst for God as one aspect of prayer, we forget God’s thirst for us. God desires us more than we desire him, and He waits patiently for us to reach out to Him. He is inviting each one of us to His banquet of love.
“I thirst” (John 19:28): This is the shortest of the seven cries of Christ at Calvary. This word points to the extreme yearning of Christ for souls. Saint Teresa of Calcutta has deeply meditated on this spiritual thirst of Christ for humanity. She says: “He thirsts for you. He loves you always, even when you don’t feel worthy. When you are not accepted by others or even by yourself sometimes, He is the one who always accepts you.” When you give yourself to Him with all your unworthiness, you give Him the joy of being your Saviour. So, His thirst for you is much greater than your thirst for Him.
In the story above, Jesus actually waited at the confessional to convert the young boy even though all the boy wanted was to mock Him. All we need to do is to allow Him to seek us, find us, and care for us with His tenderness. Nothing can adequately satisfy His thirst except the heart of every person, who is made for Him, and hence can never be joyful until they find their rest in Him. Will you let him love you today, my friend?
The Creator’s quest for the creature is sometimes astonishing yet real. The thirst for the lost sheep, lost coin, and the lost son is His thirst for each one of us. The shepherd is lonely without his sheep. The unfortunate woman longs for the lost coin. The father feels so lonely in the absence of his prodigal son. So also, the creator cannot live without the creature – that is you! We fail to comprehend the intensity of his thirst because none of us ever loved so much. We do not have the capacity to love as much as He does. Therefore, we can never miss His love as much as when it is denied to us. God’s thirst to be loved is not for Himself but for us to be fulfilled in life.
A novice once came to the great Carmelite mystic St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi complaining that she did not know how to pray. The saint told her to spend the rest of her prayer that week in the garden, and learn how to pray from flowers. As the flowers kept their petals ever silently and receptively open toward the sun, in good weather and in bad, constant, unassuming, and secure, so this young novice was to instill in herself a spirit of receptive openness to God’s spirit.
In the same way, God thirsts for your soul, not because your soul is pure or holy, but because you are empty and void without Him. Be open. At every confessional, the Lord patiently waits and searches for souls. Will you let Him find and heal you today, my friend? The confessional is a reset button! “There shall be joy in heaven upon one sinner that repents, more than upon ninety-nine just, who need no repentance” (Luke 15:7).
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