Oct 13 Tue
What is my deepest thirst? What am I really seeking in life?
Leo XIV’s response before 1 million French people.
“If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink” (Jn 7:37). In our thirst, we must turn toward Christ, the source of living water: water that quenches our thirst and makes life flourish, the water of God’s love “poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
“My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” This is the cry of a humble heart whose deepest thirst continues to grow. Then, Jesus Christ, through his Incarnation, comes to meet every person in the midst of his or her own story, and reveals Himself as the true source of living water capable of quenching our thirst.
This thirst that dwells in every human heart is not so much a thirst for material things, but a thirst for meaning, for truth and fulfillment. Jesus responds to our profound desire for relationship, for communion with God, in whom the fullness of life forever resides.
Saint John would see water flowing from the pierced side of Jesus as He gave up his spirit. Everyone can now drink from this fountain, receive the gift of the Spirit, and be born anew, becoming children of God, a new creation.
We must acknowledge that nothing in this world can ever fully satisfy us. When we think that our work is finished at last, and our efforts have been rewarded, that inner emptiness often returns, deeper than before. And so, in an attempt to fill it, we may seek new pleasures, want to possess more and more things, or do everything we can to distract ourselves to numb that inner restlessness.
What is my deepest thirst? What am I really seeking in life? We all long for happiness, love, and fulfillment. But from what source do we seek to quench our thirst? Are we content with material goods, immediate satisfactions, the countless little idols that promise us everything but leave our hearts empty? We have been baptized and received the living water of which the Gospel speaks, but have we truly encountered Christ personally? In essence, the human person is a being of desire, and only God can fill the emptiness within us.
Yes, Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, leads us, as a shepherd leads his sheep, to the source of happiness and peace. He knows each one of us by name. Nothing about us is hidden from him –neither our secrets, nor our intentions, nor our weaknesses. He searches the depths of our hearts. He gave his life for us and continues to give it to us through the sacraments. Jesus reveals God’s unconditional love for us. In his eyes, none of us is merely a number or an entry in a register, but a unique and irreplaceable person.
Still, do not keep your faith in Jesus Christ to yourselves. Let it overflow, so that those you meet may be refreshed and their thirst satisfied. You are called to bring hope to all around you, wherever discouragement and spiritual dryness prevail.
Yet only by accepting to live under the gaze of Jesus can we be authentic and satisfy our thirst.