Thursday of the Second Week of Advent
Providing an image that conveys the need of the human heart for God’s grace, the Lord speaks through the prophet Isaiah about those who thirst. The longing of the body for water mirrors the longing of the people of Israel for God’s redeeming love. And what is God’s response to this need? The Lord speaks of giving water to the thirsty, and not just the needed amount, but a super abundance of the water for which they long: “I will open up rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the broad valleys; I will turn the desert into a marshland, and the dry ground into springs of water.” (Isaiah 41:18) For those who thirst, the Lord will not only satisfy their thirst, but will fill the desert around them with springs, indeed, God will turn the very desert into a garden!
As basic, primal, and deep-seated is the body’s need for water, so too is the soul’s need for God’s grace. We need to turn to the Lord and drink from the fount of His redeeming love, every day, again and again throughout the day. And the Lord does not hold back. Rather, in the wasteland, the Lord makes water spring up. The Lord pours His love into the hearts of family and friends as well so that they may be channels of God’s charity in our need. Today, let us thank the Lord for His Providential care not only for our body, but for our soul! Let us take care to receive the grace that is on offer from the Lord in the sacraments. And as we receive the Lord’s kindness from the kind people He puts in our midst, let us ask Him to transform us too by His grace into channels of His charity for others who thirst.