April 2008
"I THIRST"
Recently, I read the review of a book where the author recounts her rediscovery of Christian faith. In her reencounter with Jesus she noted that he had lived a wonderful and full life with the exception of three very terrifying days. It occurred to me how right she was. The Gospel is full of wonderful stories of teaching and compassion by a man who reveals the very meaning and fullness of life. Jesus was born into a loving and protective family, he enjoyed meaningful relationships with devoted friends, he allied himself with the oppressed, he revealed God in his every word and action, and he loved and was loved. Then there was Passion Week.
On Holy Thursday and Good Friday we will contemplate those very terrifying days of betrayal, trial and the execution of Jesus. I suggest that we focus not only on the suffering, the torture and the cross, of 2000 years ago, nor on what we sometimes present as the price God demanded in order to buy us back; which seems a cruel and skewed understanding of the God who is boundless pure love.
I suggest we realize it wasn't just 2000 years ago that Jesus was crucified, but that Jesus is crucified again and again and again in our own time. Because Jesus says, "When I was hungry you gave me to eat. When I was thirsty you gave me to drink. When I was naked you clothed me" and so on. We know that passage well. Jesus lives on and suffers and dies, is crucified again and again today in our world. I remember a newspaper with the bold headline, "I THIRST." The very words Jesus cried from the cross. The story was about people thirsting now. Over a billion people in the world are without adequate drinking water and so they suffer and die. Jesus thirsts in them. And that's what we have to remember. Those terrifying days happen to Jesus again and again.
One day, Jesus transformed a hateful, violent situation into one of love when he reached out and forgave; "Today, you'll be with me in Heaven" and again "Father, forgive them, they don't know what they're doing" he cried out from his cross. On another day was raised from the dead, changing death into new life. Well, perhaps there's a way to think that Jesus rises up again in our world at different times, in different places, in different circumstances, a way to know that Jesus is alive and with us.
St. Peter speaks about how the disciples saw Jesus. He says, "God let Jesus be seen. Not by all the people, but by the witnesses that were chosen before hand by God, by us who ate and drink with him after his resurrection from death." The first disciples obviously had a very special experience of the risen Lord. They saw Jesus not just in a resuscitated body but in a transformed way, a whole different way of being. They experienced him deeply. That is not our experience and yet sometimes in the quiet of our prayer if we really quiet ourselves, go deeply within our own spirit, we can experience Jesus alive within our own hearts.
Our world is full of those who hunger and thirst and through them the suffering Jesus is alive among us. I think it's really true that out of crucifixion new life is coming. Each of us can experience the risen Jesus by simply looking at life around us and seeing circumstances that show God is alive, that God is bringing life where there was death, that God is raising Jesus to life again and again. As we experience this, we are filled with the joy of Easter. As we experience Jesus rising from the death within us we can fulfill our vocation as his followers. Then we can declare the good news that Jesus is alive and that he lives with us. And when enough of us declare that message, feel that message, live that message, then we can bring hope and joy to a world that needs this message so desperately.
As we celebrate Easter I pray that every one of us will come to know more deeply that Jesus is alive, that he is among us, and that he is raising this world, going through a few very terrifying days to new life so that we can witness in hope and joy.