Day Thirty-Four of Lent – “I Thirst”

REFLECTION AND PRAYER
Day Thirty-Four of Lent
“I Thirst”

After this, aware that everything was now finished, in order that the scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I thirst.” There was a vessel filled with common wine. So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop and put it up to his mouth. John 19:28-29

As our Blessed Mother heard her Son speak these words, “I thirst,” she would have immediately desired to satiate His thirst. She was attentive to His bodily thirst, but she was even more attentive to His spiritual thirst.

As the soldier took a sponge, soaked it in wine and placed it to His mouth, she would have received some consolation from this act of kindness. But she would have also seen great meaning in this act. The soldier was a symbol of fallen humanity and the sour wine was a symbol of our disordered state. But it was precisely our disordered state that Jesus longed to redeem. He did not desire “fresh wine” or “pure spring water.” He desired fallen humanity. He thirsted for us to come to Him in our weakness and sin. Our Blessed Mother would have perceived this powerful symbolism.

Jesus still cries out today, “I thirst!” He thirsts for you. Too often we feel that we can only come to Him, to satiate His thirst, if we come in an angelic way. Too often we believe that Jesus only smiles at us when we come without sin. But this is not true. The reason that He died such a cruel death was so that we could come to Him in our own brokenness. We come to the suffering and thirsty Christ with our sin and disorder. We are not fresh wine, we are sour wine. But when we allow ourselves to come to our Lord in this state, His thirst is quenched.

What is the condition of your soul? Are you embarrassed by your sin? Do you adopt a false persona presuming that Jesus will only accept you if you are perfect? Nothing is further from the truth. Do not hesitate to come to our Lord with all your weaknesses, struggles and sins. Do not worry about what He will think or say. Come to Him. If you trust Him, your humble act of offering Him your sinful self will refresh His soul.

Reflect, today, upon those two sacred words of our dying Lord, “I thirst.” Know that His thirst is for you and that He desires you just as you are. Go to Him, surrender to Him and delight Him. Our Blessed Mother is watching and waiting for you to satiate the longing within the Heart of her divine Son.

PRAYER

My dearest Mother, you were attentive to the spiritual thirst in the Heart of your Son. You were also attentive to the fact that His thirst was for me and for all humanity. Pray for me that I may be like that sour wine, lifted to the lips of your divine Son.

My loving Mother, pray for me that I may see my sin and may not hesitate to go to your Son in this state. I pray that I may have the courage I need to come in my weakness so as to satiate the Heart of your Son and your own Immaculate Heart.

My thirsting Lord, I know that Your words, spoken from the Cross, were words inviting me to satiate Your spiritual longing. Help me to trust that You love me as I am. Give me the courage I need to trust in Your mercy and to turn to You this day. I love You, dear Lord. Help me to love You more.

40 Days Journey with Our Lord
Day Thirty-Four: Reconciliation

Imagine spending the day working hard in a garden in the heat of the sun. Afterwards, nothing is more refreshing than a shower and clean clothes. So it is with the soul. After laboring in the field of the world, at work, within the family, or in your broader community, you will inevitably become dirtied by sin—perhaps not grave sin, but at least venial sins and spiritual imperfections. When these sins become habitual, they dirty us even more. And if the sin is mortal, the filth is great.

God wants you clean. He wants you free. He does not want to see His son or daughter mired in filth and shame. This is the reason for the glorious Sacrament of Reconciliation.

After pondering the Seven Capital Sins over the past several days, you are likely more keenly aware of your particular sins. There is no shame in admitting our sins. Shame only comes from denying and hiding our sins. Humble souls cry out to God for mercy and readily confess their weaknesses, including their sins, especially their habitual or grave ones.

Lent is a time in which we seek spiritual renewal, and nothing can renew us more than the cleansing power of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. In that sacrament, God touches your soul and cleanses it from all that weighs you down. He brings freedom and peace and enables you to start again.

Confession is really the starting point of conversion in that it wipes away the guilt of sin. But the Church teaches that even after a soul is cleansed of the “guilt” of sin, “temporal punishment” remains. It is for this reason that confession is only the starting point to the freedom you desire.

Temporal punishment is another way of saying that sin creates habits and unless those habits are changed, one will likely fall into the same sins again. Sinful habits are changed by conversion and purification of the mind and will. This is done through prayer, virtuous choices, grace, and penance. One reason a penance is given after confession is to remind the person of the need to go forth and change, now that the sin has been forgiven.

Traditionally, the Church has offered many ways to receive an indulgence, which is a spiritual act that brings with it all the grace necessary to be released from the “temporal punishment due to sins” (see Catechism of the Catholic Church #1471). An indulgence is one way that God guarantees that all the grace you need to fully change is made available to you. Whether or not you avail yourself of that grace is up to you.

If you have not yet had the opportunity to make a thorough confession this Lent, look for the desire you have within your soul for true freedom from sin. As you discover that desire, ponder it over and over. Allow that desire to grow within you and to become the motivation you need to celebrate God’s forgiveness in Reconciliation. If you have made a thorough and sincere confession, ponder the cleansing power of that sacred act. Rejoice in the gift you have been given, and seek to remedy every lingering bad habit so that your freedom will increase and your joy will be great.

PRAYER

My forgiving Lord, Your Sacred Heart is one of perfect mercy. You hold nothing back from us but give all You are and all You have out of the superabundance of Your perfect love. Please give me the grace I need to humble myself before You by acknowledging and confessing my sin so that I find freedom, peace and joy, and then work to overcome all bad habits and near occasions of sin. Thank You for Your abundant mercy!

Mother Mary, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source: mycatholiclife