I Thirst

“Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the scripture), “I thirst” (John 19:28).

Jesus refused offers to satiate his physical thirst on multiple occasions throughout his passion. Reaching much deeper beyond the mere physical thirst, his final words reveal a consummate thirst to bring us back into communion with the Father. And yet his thirst goes even deeper.

The thirst of the Son is to return to the Father. Jesus’ heart was (and is) completely and eternally consumed with a burning love for God the Father. Before the foundation of the world, this very love existed, “begetting” the Holy Spirit in its fruitfulness. It’s precisely out of this love that creation formed into existence. Out of this love, humanity is created in his image and the Redeemer is sent to save us. Out of this love, he freely carried his cross to Calvary and planted the new tree of life, destroying death itself once and for all. Out of this love, the gates of Paradise are now opened wide for all souls. It’s a love that transcends beyond the grave, to the very end...and beyond. It cannot be destroyed; it always overcomes... every situation!

Indeed, Jesus died of thirst, stretching out his entire being to the end of love. With an infinite desire in his heart for union with the Father, nothing would ultimately separate him from this longing. Nothing could reduce, steal, or satiate this unquenchable thirst.

For this reason, we end our journey precisely where we began, seeking to ignite “A Heart on Fire with Desire.” We aspire to end this earthly pilgrimage inflamed with a burning desire in our hearts for union with God the Father. In other words, my greatest prayer for you is that, like our Lord, you would die of thirst. That the desire and thirst in your heart would be continually enkindled and grow from a faint flicker to an intoxicating flame of love. This is precisely why Our Lord pursues us, “I came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled!” (Luke 12:49).

Over the course of this incredible journey we have come to know our enemies. We have encountered them head-on, understanding the powers and forces that seek to reduce us into bondage, steal our joy and holy desires and reckon us less human. To persevere in our journey towards Heaven we must not only persevere in faith, virtue and good works, but always retain our first love. Once again, it is a matter of the heart.

 “I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear evil men but have tested those who call themselves apostles but are not, and found them to be false; I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember then from what you have fallen, repent and do the works you did at first” (Revelations 2:2-5).

In Heaven, only love remains. Our faith gives way to sight; our sin and sorrow burned away. Hope is actualized in his presence. May the love of God consume your heart, mind and soul; for when we die in thirst, full of desire for the Father, we pass from life to life. The power of God’s love relativizes both life and death! Our pilgrimage and journey through the wilderness will one day come to an end. It is in this great desert that we come to discover just how thirsty we truly are. Let us never settle for the counterfeit offerings of the world that attempt to shrink our heart’s desire. Like Christ himself, may we die of thirst.

 “To the thirsty I will give water without price from the fountain of the water of life. He who conquers shall have this heritage, and I will be his God and he shall be my son” (Revelations 21:6-7).