Mtr Mary Trainor

Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. 

Dear friend,

Living in the desert, we are constantly advised of the need to stay hydrated. Even in this cooler time of year. Our entire system suffers if we ignore this advice, and we learn eventually that thirst is a poor indicator of hydration. Thirst is not an early-warning system. It is a sign that we are already in trouble.

Jesus is looking for the thirsty in today’s Office Gospel from John. Because only the thirsty know they are in need.

How did the people respond? They began quibbling about what he said, who he was, what it meant, should he be arrested. The trouble with such quibbling is we forget to recognize that we are thirsty.

***

It’s a cautionary tale for those who study Jesus. Maybe we respond initially out of thirst, desperate for the living water. In time, thirst slaked, we start poking around at this water, curious about its properties, how it does its work. If not careful, we can join the groups that quibble and forget how thirsty we were.

***

I was about nine when I learned about the living water. I drank and drank. I couldn’t get enough. And then some evangelical quibblers started messing with my happiness, poking at its simplicity, raising concerns. Was I saved? Would I burn in hell? Did I really love Jesus? It was overwhelming.

I stopped drinking the living water for decades. I ignored my thirst and carried on as though spiritual dehydration wasn’t life-threatening. But, of course, it is, and I was in danger.

Psalm 42, an Evening Prayer option for today, captures my feeling:

As the deer longs for the water-brooks, *
so longs my soul for you, O God.
My soul is athirst for God, athirst for the living God; *
when shall I come to appear before the presence of God?

***

I nearly died of thirst, so now I guard the living water as though it is life’s most precious commodity. I can never allow anyone or anything to cut me off from it again. Distraction or quibbling is not welcome here, for I choose not to live in want of this water, nor to go to my death without it.

Mtr Mary