{"id":107962,"date":"2015-04-25T10:20:26","date_gmt":"2015-04-25T15:20:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.austincnm.com\/?p=107962"},"modified":"2015-04-25T10:20:26","modified_gmt":"2015-04-25T15:20:26","slug":"why-jesus-said-i-thirst","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/04\/why-jesus-said-i-thirst\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Jesus Said, “I Thirst”"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cI thirst\u201d (Jn <\/em>19:28). Jesus said this on the Cross and before he gave up his spirit. This phrase reminds us of the pain and anguish he endured for our sake. It reminds us of the death of the just for the sake of the unjust. The language and wording associated with the redemption of Christ is beautiful. Yet, we tend to talk about his redemption as a transaction or one-time exchange.<\/p>\n

\"How

How To Pay Bills Online<\/p><\/div>\n

You and I may \u201cfrequent the Sacraments.\u201d You and I may go more often than once a year to Confession. Maybe we are even faithful to Sunday Mass. Maybe we are starting to attend Holy Days of Obligation and a daily Mass, too! That\u2019s good, huh?<\/p>\n

\u201cSo that means my time in purgatory is reduced, right? I mean, it is<\/em> reduced; I\u2019m putting grace (money) in the soul (bank).<\/p>\n

\u201cI even deposit more often than the next guy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe sacraments are like insurance, right? The more I do \u2018em, the more justified I am in doing whatever I want, right? If I do \u2018em, I can \u201cspend\u201d my life however I want, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

Those kinds of thoughts are what I am referring to when I say we talk about the redemption of Jesus like a transaction. We treat redemption like a one-time thing (once saved always saved) or a monthly recurring payment (Pelagianism). In other words, we meet Jesus with little attention, intention, or devotion.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thirst.\u201d Did Jesus say, \u201cPlease, sir, may I have a particular kind and amount of alcohol?\u201d No. He voiced a need, not a quota to meet. Can you catch the difference? He did not specify what it is he thirsted for. And that goes against our want to \u201cfix the problem\u201d and get it over with.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thirst.\u201d Listen for a minute. Can you hear him say that? Can you hear him breathing? Look him in the eye and meet him where you are. \u201cLet yourself be seen by him,\u201d said a brother seminarian. Don\u2019t rattle off empty prayers with out your soul or will involved. Don\u2019t avoid the encounter with the God-Man by \u201cpaying him off\u201d with cheap fillers, whatever they may be for you.<\/p>\n

Rather, let that voice of His speak into<\/em> you. \u201cI thirst.\u201d \u201cWhat is it you thirst for, Lord? I have nothing to give – Only bad decisions and vain pleasures! Depart from me, Lord.\u201d Let his thirst bring to light your own need. Let his voice speak your own unspoken aches and emptiness. Receive his call to you as a personal<\/em> invitation. Receive his as the One who reveals you to yourself, as the One who restores life. Awake from the sleep of comfort and ignorance and take responsibility for yourself.<\/p>\n

Believe this: he said, \u201cI thirst,\u201d so that both you and I would learn how to voice to him our own particular thirsts, deficiencies, and sense of emptiness. Jesus, the Son of God, \u201ccannot abandon humanity in so wretched a condition. He leaps to his feet and abandons the glory of heaven, in order to go in search of the sheep and pursue it, all the way to the Cross\u201d (Benedict XVI<\/a>). He went as far as the Cross. Why? For you to come to him. He emptied himself for our sake. He abandoned the glory of heaven to meet us here<\/em>. He is a man concerned for others. In his poverty, he reveals the depths of human suffering. He reveals with burning clarity and charity that which I could never articulate. God, in the person of Jesus Christ, reveals to me my poverty, and to you yours. Jesus is the master of the language of humanity. Jesus is the Teacher of how to be human<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Jesus, because of his perfection, has the capacity to reveal me to myself. He has the power to teach me what I am meant to be. He has the knowledge and wisdom as to what I long for and desire to live up to. Jesus, because of his intimacy with the Father, has the right to direct our lives as Master and Lord.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thirst.\u201d Can you see? He doesn\u2019t say this only<\/em> because he was about to die. He knows our emptiness and nakedness felt from within. He knows the ache and sting of isolation. And you know what else? He wants to share that with you. He was to share in<\/em> that with you. That is the beginning of redemption. When I allow Jesus to share in my misery or failed attempt at glory, that is when he can redeem me, save me, raise me up. Sit with this for a while:<\/p>\n

The wonder of prayer is revealed beside the well where we come seeking water [like the Samaritan woman]: there, Christ comes to meet every human being. It is he who first seeks us and asks us for a drink. Jesus thirsts; his asking arises from the depths of God’s desire for us. Whether we realize it or not, prayer is the encounter of God’s thirst with ours. God thirsts that we may thirst for him. –CCC 2560<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The truth of our redemption cannot be reduced to the language of transaction. The way we talk about the Lord\u2019s work in our lives cannot stagnate with academic vocabulary. Be mindful of who it is<\/em> you are encountering in those Sacraments. It is not just a \u201cthing\u201d that you do, but a Person whom you meet. See if you can catch yourself treating prayer time like a mundane chore. Then, stop there. Invite him into that very moment.<\/p>\n

Let him tell you, \u201cI thirst.\u201d Be not afraid to satiate that thirst with your<\/em> own self, with your own faith, as weak as it may be. It is your<\/em> faith and you<\/em> yourself for whom God thirsts. Never deprive him of that sweet offering. It may be the way he consoles another. Be bold as you draw near.<\/p>\n

So, why did he say, \u201cI thirst\u201d? For our sake; to teach us how important it is to draw near to him,\u00a0<\/em>to speak to\u00a0him<\/em>.<\/p>\n

When no one listens to me any more, God still listens to me. When I can no longer talk to anyone or call upon anyone, I can always talk to God. When there is no longer anyone to help me deal with a need or expectation that goes beyond the human capacity for hope, he can help me. When I have been plunged into complete solitude \u2026; if I pray I am never totally alone. –Spe Salvi, no. 32<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cI thirst\u201d (Jn 19:28). Jesus said this on the Cross and before he gave up his spirit. This phrase reminds us of the pain and anguish he endured for our sake. It reminds us of the death of the just for the sake of the unjust. The language and wording associated with the redemption of… [Read More]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":142,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[90,91],"tags":[75,638,330,2769,865,2329,1883,1673],"class_list":{"0":"post-107962","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-faith-blog","7":"category-young-adult","8":"tag-benedict-xvi","9":"tag-hope","10":"tag-jesus","11":"tag-mediocrity","12":"tag-prayer-advice","13":"tag-redemption","14":"tag-revelation","15":"tag-sainthood","16":"entry","17":"has-post-thumbnail"},"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":14070,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2012\/03\/the-last-seven-words-of-christ\/","url_meta":{"origin":107962,"position":0},"title":"The Last Seven Words of Christ","author":"Rita Suva","date":"March 30, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"The Seven Last Words of Christ refer to the final seven phrases that Our Lord spoke as he hung on the Cross. 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