Daily Reflection – June 6, 2016

Monday 6 June 2016

First Reading: 1 Kings 17:1-6
Responsorial Psalm:
Our help is from the Lord who made heaven and earth
Psalm 120(121):1-8
Gospel Reading: Matthew 5:1-12

Today’s Note: Monday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel Reading:

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain,
and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.
He began to teach them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you
and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward will be great in heaven.
Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Reflection:

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst . . . for they will be satisfied. (Matthew 5:6)

Imagine you’ve been wandering for a long time in a hot, dry desert. Then you spot a well in the distance. You’re not sure if there’s water in it, but that doesn’t matter. Desperate, you sprint toward it with all the strength you can muster. That’s what real thirst looks like.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus talks about another kind of thirst—spiritual thirst. But rather than comparing the spiritually thirsty to someone desperately trudging through a desert, he calls them “blessed” (Matthew 5:6). They are happy—which is what the Greek word here, makarios, means. These thirsty people are actually in a good place. But how can that be?

The truth is, we all have a spiritual thirst that only God can satisfy. Whether we recognize it or not, we all long to be close to him and to be filled with his life and his love. Jesus knows this too. That’s why he offered the Samaritan woman at the well a taste of his own “living water” (John 4:10). He knew that the fulfillment she had been trying to find in her many marriages could come only from him. It’s also why he had such a long conversation with her; he wanted her to recognize her thirst.

Jesus is always ready to give us a drink. He is eager to fill us with his living water. But as he did for the Samaritan woman, he waits for us to recognize how thirsty we are. Many health experts urge us to drink plenty of water—as much as a full gallon a day! We shouldn’t wait until we feel parched and thirsty. We should just keep drinking. That’s exactly how it is with Jesus. We always need his living water, whether we feel it or not.

Don’t worry about drinking too much either. If you go to the Lord and say, “I am thirsty,” he won’t reject you. Quite the opposite; he’ll rejoice! He loves filling us up; he loves refreshing our spirits; he loves keeping us spiritually healthy. So go ahead, and drink up!

“Jesus, I thirst for you. Come, Lord, and give me your living water.”