“I am thirsty!”
by Jenni Bernardo-Fonseca
“I thirst.”
Water is a very powerful symbol to a number of major religions, faith traditions and belief systems like Daoism, Buddhism, Judaism, and Christianity. In Daoism, water is deemed as powerful in and of itself and its strength lies in its being supple, in its fluidity, its softness, its buoyancy and its gravity. Water as a powerful element is found in all living organisms, small and great. It is even in the air that we breathe. Because it is hydrogen and oxygen, it can seep into the deepest recesses of the earth to give life to all living organisms, and to all human and non-human beings alike.
In Christianity water is a symbol of both life and death. In the Old Testament we saw the essence of water as a symbol of life and death. Noah was called by YHWH to preserve life itself from destruction. Moses, he who was drawn from the water, was the one who led the Israelites out of slavery by crossing the Sea of Reeds. From the water, their persecutors drowned from the water. And it was water too that tested the faith of Moses in Yhwh, it was the water of Meribah in the desert that determined his fate. Striking the stone twice out of anger, he defied the will of God and was punished by YHWH from seeing the promised land.
In the New Testament, water figured in the ministry of Jesus very strongly. He was baptized at the river Jordan before He began His public ministry. Jesus’s first miracle was the transformation of water into wine. And who can forget the Samaritan woman by the well of Jacob who gave Jesus water when the Lord got thirsty after going around the town. Such a gesture of Jesus defies cultural norms that prohibits any Jew to interact with any Samaritan. In this gospel pericope we see Jesus telling us that the water that God provides is for everyone, that salvation is given to everyone, enemies or not, and that no matter what the race or culture, no matter what the historical past would remind us, we all deserve God’s salvation.
Jesus’s last word, “I thirst” is God’s way of making His disciples see with their eyes of faith the need to fully trust in God the Father. On the Cross, Jesus, the new Moses was making a declaration of faith to the will of God with utter abandonment. And unlike Moses who struck the stone twice in anger, in the desert of Meribah due to his fear of losing the trust of the Israelites, Jesus knew that He had fulfilled the will of the Father. Jesus became for all of us that stone in Meribah. He was “struck” by the Father so that the water that leads to eternal life can flow forth from his side. And now, we can draw water from Him anytime we thirst even if and especially if we are weak of faith like Moses and hardened of hearts like the Israelites of old because the Lord has already “overcome the world.” (Jn 16:33)
As an efficacious symbol in the sacrament of Baptism, it is a performative sign. It brings about the efficacy that it symbolizes, life and cleansing. In everyday use, water is a source of life, it adds life to all creatures. As a symbol of cleansing, it cleanses and purifies any impurities. That is why in the sacrament of Baptism it is an efficacious symbol of God’s salvation. In Baptism we receive the new life of Christ as being born again of water and the Spirit to become children of God. Water indeed is transformative.
“I thirst,” says the Lord. This is the same experience many children in countries being ravaged by wars nowadays and children in very poor countries in Asia. In this day and age of super technology, still many children suffer and die from malnutrition and diarrhea because of lack or absence of clean and potable water. Women need to fetch water from far flung and dangerous places to provide for their families.
“I thirst” says the Lord. But water is controlled by mega AI economies that need billions of cubic meters of water to sustain all digital platforms. Water is being taken from human beings so that global technologies can perform according to their programs. At the expense of human beings especially in very poor countries and all life-forms, water is now also consumed by AIs.
“I thirst,” says the Lord. He who gives the water of everlasting life thirsts for peoples’ trust in Him. We have wandered away from the God who can provide us everlasting life and joy that never ends in this life and in the next. We gave our full trust to the water that provides temporary relief. We have been striking the stone of Meribah too many times out of anger and laziness and selfishness. We are thirsty not because we are not drinking enough water. We are thirsty because we do not like the water that God provides. We are thirsty because we have not drunk from the “side of the Lord” who has already overcome all hunger and thirst in the Lord.
“I thirst,” says the Lord.
Prayer
Diyos ng aming buhay, Diyos na Buhay. Diyos na nagbibigay ng tubig na hindi nagmamaliw. Marami pong salamat sa Iyong tubig na ipinagkakaloob sa amin. Tubig ng buhay at tubig ng iyong pagmamahal.
Patawad po aming Diyos sa maraming pagkakataon na pinipili naming sumalok ng tubig sa balon ng kamatayan. Patawad po sa maraming pagkakataon na uminom kami ng tubig na puno ng lason ng kasakiman at kawalan ng kalinga sa kapwa.
Mamulat na po sana kami na Ikaw ang bukal ng tubig na nagbibigay buhay sa amin. Mamulat na po nawa kami na ang tubig ng buhay namin ay Ikaw lamang.
Hinihiling namin ito sa pangalan ni Hesus, aming Diyos magpakaylanman. Amen.
Si Jenni Bernardo-Fonseca ay isang Katekista ng Simbahan ni San Jose sa Gagalangin.
Isang ina, anak, kapatid, kaibigan, guro.