March 16, 2020

Monday of the Third Week of Lent

Readings for Today

Athirst is my soul for the living God. When shall I go and behold the face of God? (See Psalm 42:3)

What a beautiful statement to be able to make. The word “athirst” is a word not used that often but worth reflecting on all by itself. It reveals a longing and a desire to be quenched not only by God, but by the “Living God!” And to “behold the face of God.”

How often do you long for such a thing? How often do you let the desire for God burn within your soul? This is a wonderful desire and longing to have. In fact, the desire itself is enough to begin bringing great satisfaction and fulfillment in life.

There is a story of an elderly monk who lived his life as a hermit being a priest and chaplain for a group of monastic sisters. This monk lived a very quiet life of solitude, prayer, study and work most of his life. One day, toward the end of his life, he was asked how he enjoyed his life all these years. Immediately and without hesitation his face became radiant and overwhelmed with a deep joy. And he said with the deepest of conviction, “What a glorious life I have! Every day I’m preparing to die.”

This monk had one focus in life. It was a focus on the face of God. Nothing else really mattered. What he longed for and anticipated each and every day was that moment when he would enter into that glorious Beatific Vision and see God face to face. And it was the thought of this that enabled him to press on, day after day, year after year, offering Mass and worshiping God in preparation for that glorious meeting.

What do you thirst for? How would you complete that statement? “Athirst is my soul for…?” For what? Too often we thirst for those things that are so artificial and temporary. We try so hard to be happy and yet we so often fall short. But if we can let our hearts be inflamed with longing for that which is essential, that which we were made for, then everything else in life will fall into place. If God is placed at the center of all our longings, all our hopes and all our desires, we will actually begin to “behold the face of God” here and now. Even the slightest glimpse of God’s glory will satiate us so much that it will transform our whole outlook on life and give us a clear and certain direction in all we do. Every relationship will be affected, every decision we make will be orchestrated by the Holy Spirit, and the purpose and meaning of life we are searching for will be discovered. Every time we think about our lives we will become radiant as we ponder the journey we are on and long to put it into full motion anticipating the eternal reward awaiting us in the end.

Reflect, today, upon your “thirst.” Don’t waste your life on empty promises. Don’t get caught up in earthly attachments. Seek God. Seek His face. Seek His will and His glory and you will never want to turn back from the direction this longing takes you.

Jesus, may I one day behold Your full splendor and glory. May I see Your face and make that goal the center of my life. May everything I am be caught up in this burning desire, and may I bask in the joy of this journey. Jesus, I trust in You.

40 Days at the Foot of the Cross – Reflection Nineteen – The Agony in the Garden

Resources for Lent

A Prayer to Combat the Coronavirus Pandemic

More Gospel Reflections

Divine Mercy Reflections

Saints/Feasts for Today

Mass Reading Options