THIRSTY

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 4th Monday after Easter is, “Thirsty.

Instead of a reflection on today’s First Reading from Acts 11:1-18, the call to Peter to think outside the box and reach out to the Unclean, the Gentiles,   and today’s Gospel – John 10:11-18, a continuation of yesterday’s Gospel – the text about being a Good Shepherd and knowing his voice, I want to reflect about the key image in today’s Psalm and Psalm response, “Athirst is my soul for the living God.”

At times people ask about suggestions on where to start reading the Bible. I always say, “Start with The Letter of James.” Less, but also at times, people say they want to read and pray the Psalms. I suggest today’s Psalm 42 – as well as Psalm 63.

Both reflect on the theme of being thirsty.

WE’VE BEEN THERE

We’ve all been thirsty.

It’s hot and we’ve been cutting the grass or taking a good walk and we can’t wait to get something cool to drink.

We at the restaurant and the waitress or waiter introduces her or himself and after handing us the menu they say, “Can I get you something to drink?”

Yesterday I had a baptism of a 5 week old baby and somewhere along the line he let go of his pacifier or “paci” and starting making this great sucking sound – for all to hear. Cute.

It went something like this, “Sluuuurpppppppp!”

I remember visiting our old major seminary once. It was a really hot day and I’m with this great priest – whom we called, “Trixie!” He was a short, fat, Italian priest and a wonderful character. He says to me, “Let’s go down to the library. They have a great cool water fountain there.” I said, “They don’t have a fountain there.” He says, “There is one just outside the front door.” I said, “No way. Wanna bet?” He says, “Yes, have your wallet ready.” So we go to the library and sure enough, there’s the water fountain.” Trixie says, “Show me the money.” Then he adds with a great Ha Ha smile, “Fat people always know where the water fountains are.”

JESUS KNEW WHERE THE WATER WAS

Jesus knew where the water was.

He must have enjoyed watching animals heading for streams of water. He lived in the north – where it was hilly – and greener than down south. He must have know where one could get a cool drip of a drink in the hills. He must have watched people enjoy tossing water on their face on a hot day and drinking good well water.

He would have known Psalms 42 and 63 – and knew that people thirsted for God. He got angry with the Pharisees for drying up religion. He didn’t like people paying lip service and babbling prayers. He knew the temple in Jerusalem was not for buying and selling and sponging up people’s money – but it was to be a place where people could satisfy their thirst for the Living Water of God – as well as be healed.

CONCLUSION: CHURCH

So this church and every church is a fountain where we can receive the Living Water called Christ. We can look up at him here on the cross and hear the Living Water coming from his side.

Want a good prayer, read today’s Psalm 42, calmly and quietly. In the right setting, have a cold glass of water in hand on a hot day as your read it – as you pray it.

Want a good prayer, picture yourself as a little child and do what I heard that little kid doing yesterday, wanting milk from his mother, “Sluuuurpppppppp!”

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NOTES

This theme is not too far fetched and it’s not just an effort to be politically correct.

It can be found in Clement of Alexandria’s [c.150-c.215], Paedagogus, The Instructor, Book I, Chapter Six. If you want to read an English translation of this ancient work, type into Google, "Paedagogus, Clement of Alexandria" and then check Book 1.

Jesus told us to be like little children. Jesus called God our Father, Father, but he referred to himself as Mother as well (Cf. Matthew 23:37; Luke 13:34). And Jesus would have known Isaiah 66:12-13 – where God is described as a mother comforting her child and her son.

And you might have heard that John Paul I described God as follows, “He is Father. Even more God is Mother, who does not want to harm us.” [Pope John Paul I (Albino Luciani), 1912-1978, at the Sunday Angelus Blessing in St. Peter’s Square, on September 17, 1978.]

If he had not died so quickly, maybe he would have developed that theme more and cut down on the buzz and complaining about God being described as Woman.

One could also read the works of Julian of Norwich [1342-c.1416] – especially “Showings of Divine Love.” Type into Google, “Julian of Norwich: Shewings of Divine Love” – translated by Julia Bolton Holloway.

Check The Catechism of the Catholic Church, #239, “By calling God ‘Father,’ the language of faith indicates two main things: that God is the first origin of everything and transcendent authority; and that he is at the same time goodness and loving care for his children. God’s parental tenderness can also be expressed by the image of motherhood, which emphasizes God’s immanence, the intimacy between Creator and creature. The language of faith, thus draws on the human experience of parents, who are in a way the first representatives of God for man. But this experience also tells us that human parents are fallible and can disfigure the face of fatherhood and motherhood. We ought therefore to recall that God transcends the human distinction between the sexes. He is neither man nor woman: he is God. He also transcends human fatherhood and motherhood, although he is their origin and standard; no one is father as God is Father.”

Notice the he in the sentence, “He is neither man nor woman.” in the above paragraph and you'll also find it in the paragraph below this. Obviously language is tricky stuff. Notice the he is not capitalized – unless it begins a sentence.

Also check, The Catechism of the Catholic Church, # 370, which says, “In no way is God in man’s image. He is neither man nor woman. God is pure spirit in which there is no place for the difference between the sexes. But the respective ‘perfections’ of man and woman reflect something of the infinite perfection of God: those of mother and those of a father and husband.”

The Catechism of the Catholic Church talks about all this in Section One of the Catechism itself. Check numbers 39-43.

All this leads me to have a greater appreciation of Israel’s hesitation to use any name for God – lest there be idolatry in any form.