Hunger and Thirst

We’ve all felt hungry and thirsty, but once we’ve taken a bite to eat or had a few swallows of a cool beverage, those feelings vanish and we forget about them. But hunger and thirst trigger survival instincts in us, which Jesus knew while hanging on the Cross when he said, “I thirst.” Our Lord’s use of those words in St Matthew’s Gospel (5:6) intends to alert us to our greatest survival urge: eternal life in God’s Kingdom. And only by doing God’s will and becoming Jesus’ disciple, can we hope for that destiny. Doing God’s will means keeping His commandments and doing Christ’s teachings, which he outlined in his Sermon on the Mount. That doing is emphasized by Pope Francis in Chapter 3 of his Apostolic Exhortation, through our work with those living in the peripheries of society.