Tuesday, March 29, 2011

The Seven Last Words of Jesus - Part V

Fifth Word

I thirst.

Jesus' thirst could very well have been extreme.  He had suffered in the Garden of Gesthemene while he prayed.  He had been arrested, condemned to death, mercilessly scourged, and made to carry a heavy cross before he had been crucified.  It doesn't seem very likely that He would have been given much in the way of food and water during those times.  The loss of blood alone would have caused dehydration to his body.

Yes, Jesus’ real thirst is for souls.  St. Thomas Aquinas says this thirst expresses Christ’s “ardent desire for the salvation of the human race.”  Jesus is thirsting for our souls to be in union with Him.  Let us pray to Him for the grace to open our hearts and souls to Him so that we each may in a small, yet wonderful way, help satisfy His thirst for us - and more especially the thirst we have for Him.


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