Ave Maria Mediations
“Jesus on the cross said these beautiful and sad words: “I am thirsty” (John 19:28). Since then, throughout the ages, all of humanity has echoed these words…Now, O God, with all my heart, I say the sorrowful words, “I am thirsty.” I am thirsty for the peace you alone give, which transforms life; for the stability and living refreshment that only exists in you. I am thirsty for light, thirsty to know, to see, to possess, as we shall see and possess in eternity. I am thirsty for the profound sensitivity and the tenderness that can read hearts, and for a close and strong union with you. I am thirsty to devote myself, to give myself, to be understood and loved, to understand and participate in everything.
I sigh for that which endures and I sometimes want to shake off the burden of misunderstandings, hostility and narrowness that weighs on me. I am thirsty for immortality, that complete flourishing of the soul beyond this transitory world. I am thirsty for life, the only Life, abundant and eternal, with all our loves restored in the heart of infinite Love. My God, I am thirsty for you.”
I utter this cry right now; I will speak it again many times, O Jesus, before I come to you. I will say it with you: “I am thirsty.” As soon as you had spoken you accomplished your mission in this world. You prayed, labored, suffered, and “those you have given me, I guarded, and not one of them was lost” (Jn17:12). Let it be so for me, and in solitude, in those times when I come to you as a loving friend, I again express my sorrowful appeal, let me nevertheless, with your help, accomplish my mission and be a courageous Christian and apostle.
+Servant of God – Elisabeth Leseur
