杏MAP导航

By Sr Bernadette Mary Reis, fsp

鈥淛esus鈥� thirst,鈥� and 鈥淭ears tell thirst鈥檚 story鈥� are the titles of the reflections given by Fr Tolentino on Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning.

Jesus Thirsts

On Tuesday afternoon, Fr Tolentino took inspiration for his meditation using a verse from John鈥檚 Gospel: 鈥淎fter this, aware that everything was now finished, in order that the scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said, 鈥業 thirst鈥� 鈥� (John 19:28). There are other occurrences in John鈥檚 Gospel that help us understand Jesus鈥� words: 1) When Jesus is thirsty and asks the Samaritan woman for a drink (John 4:13-15); 2) The declaration 鈥渨hoever believes in me will never thirst鈥� (John 6:35); and 3) The words of Jesus spoken in the temple during the Feast of Booths: 鈥淟et anyone who thirsts come to me and drink鈥� (John 7:37). Fr Tolentino observes that Jesus鈥� 鈥淚 thirst鈥� spoken from the cross in the present tense makes it 鈥渋ntense, current and uninterrupted. Jesus still says today 鈥業 thirst鈥�. This helps us understand how Jesus fulfills his destiny.鈥� His mission being fulfilled, he says, 鈥淚 thirst.鈥�

Mother Teresa experienced Jesus' thirst

Mother Teresa, he says, experienced Jesus鈥� thirst in a mystical experience. 鈥淚n an almost physical way she felt Jesus鈥� thirst calling her to give her life in service to the thirst of the poor and rejected, to the poorest of the poor.鈥� The gift given to us to satiate our thirst is the Holy Spirit, Father Tolentino reminds us. 鈥淲e are called to live even suffering, persecution, illness, and joyfully. We are called to live every situation with lively hope. Why? Because the Holy Spirit, God鈥檚 strength, wind, breeze, breath, is in us.鈥�

Women open the Gospels to us

The protagonists for Fr Tolentino鈥檚 Wednesday morning meditation are the many women that populate Luke鈥檚 Gospel. 鈥淭he women in the Gospel prefer to express themselves with gestures. Their faith seeks comfort through touch鈥攖angible, emotional, disarming--rather than through abstraction,鈥� he explains. Commenting on Luke鈥檚 description of those following Jesus, Fr Tolentino points out that the way women accompanied the Lord was different than their male counterparts. 鈥淭he women 鈥榳ere with鈥� Jesus exactly in the same way as the Twelve. They made his destiny their own destiny. But the text adds one thing regarding only them: 鈥渢hey were serving Jesus.鈥� The women鈥檚 reaction is profoundly evangelical. They never ask Jesus the questions that the disciples ask him such as 鈥淟ord, will only a few people be saved鈥� (Luke 13:23)? Or 鈥淟ord, what must I do to inherit eternal life (Luke 10:25)? Their declarations are concrete such as, 鈥淏lessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed鈥� (Luke 11:27).

Women鈥檚 faith

With women, there is a 鈥渞ipple of reality that intervenes in order to shape faith. In this way it does not remain a prisoner鈥攁s often happens to our faith鈥攔ationalistic, lived mechanically according to doctrine or ritual.鈥� It is because they are in touch with daily life that they give 鈥減erfume to the faith.鈥� The women in Luke鈥檚 Gospel鈥攖he widow of Naim, the 鈥渟inner,鈥� the women of Jerusalem鈥攁lso cry notes Fr Tolentino. St Gregory Nanzianzen describes these tears as a baptism鈥攚hich many other saints have experienced. Fr Tolentino then concludes his meditation with the image of the woman washing Jesus鈥� feet with her tears. What this woman gave thus 鈥渟erves Jesus as the litmus text鈥� for what the Pharisee 鈥渞efused to give.鈥� 鈥淚t is this unheard of hospitality which Jesus wants to praise鈥攖hat thirst, expressed in tears鈥攚hich is our turn to learn."