Author: News

Jesus said to the blind man, “Go and wash yourself and receive your sight.” The man obeyed, washed himself, and he received his sight.

The identity of God is hidden in complete mystery. God cannot be fully understood by human beings. The more you try to understand Him completely, the more you realize how deep and beyond comprehension He is. God is the only one who can make the impossible possible. When human beings say something cannot be done, God can turn it around. He can transform nothing into something. He can take a rejected stone and make it the cornerstone. He can also transform a rejected family into an accepted and honored one.

The same God who controls our lives healed the man who was born blind. When the miracle happened, many people gathered, including the Pharisees, and arguments began. The Jews did not believe the miracle. When the disciples asked Jesus, “Was this man born blind because of his sin or the sin of his parents?” Jesus answered that it was not because of sin, but so that the glory of God might be revealed through him.

When you depend only on human beings, you will often be disappointed. But when you depend on God, you will find fulfillment.

In the first reading, we hear about the sons of Jesse. At first, nobody paid attention to the one whom God had chosen. Yet there was a king in that house..When the prophet Samuel went to Jesse’s house, the first son appeared strong and impressive, and Samuel thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here.” But God told him, “This is not the one. Look further.”

The Scriptures remind us. Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart. All seven sons passed before Samuel, yet none of them was chosen. Samuel became confused and asked, “Are these all your sons?”. Jesse had forgotten about David, who was in the bush tending sheep. While David was in the wilderness, God was preparing him. It was in that bush that he learned courage and strength, which later enabled him to defeat Goliath.

Sometimes God allows us to remain hidden so that we can prepare ourselves. Many young people today are in a hurry to reach the top of life. If you find yourself in a difficult or humble situation, stay there and prepare yourself. Do not rush. David prepared himself in the bush. Young people should use this period of their lives to prepare for the future, instead of moving from place to place searching for quick wealth.

When David eventually became king, he wrote in Psalm 23: “The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.” He also said, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” David could say this because he knew that God had prepared him and had prepared a table before him in the presence of his enemies.

It is only those who have enemies that God prepares a table for in their presence. David became a testimony of God’s mercy. He said, “You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” God chose David and showed him great mercy.

The Scriptures encourage us to come boldly into the presence of God. When you dwell in the house of the Lord, extraordinary things happen. David once said, “How can I live in a house of cedar while the Ark of the Lord remains in a tent? I will build a temple for the Lord.” But God told him that one of his sons would build the temple.

David was forgotten in the bush. Your parents may forget you. Your brothers and sisters may forget you. Friends and society may forget you. But God will never forget you. Just as David was not forgotten by God, you too will not be forgotten.

When it is your turn, protocols will change for you. When David finally came before Samuel, God said, “Arise and anoint him; this is the one.” David had been misjudged by his father and even by Samuel at first. Yet God chose him.

May the Spirit that came upon David come upon you. And when the day comes for God to announce you to the world, it will not take two days.

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Today’s readings speak deeply about thirst. But the thirst we are talking about is not only the thirst for water. It is the deep hunger and longing within the human soul. Those who truly desire a testimony must be willing to listen to the Word of God.

In the first reading, the children of Israel found themselves in the desert without water. Their thirst became unbearable, and they began to complain against Moses. They said. “Why did you bring us out of Egypt to die here in the wilderness?”

In that moment, they forgot how God had miraculously delivered them from Egypt. They forgot His power and His faithfulness. Moses cried out to God in distress. “What shall I do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.” Their stubbornness and lack of trust became a problem even for Moses. Their attitude of disbelief ultimately contributed to Moses not entering the Promised Land.

You can stay without food for a long time, but you cannot stay without water. However, the thirst we speak about today goes beyond physical water. It is the deep craving in the human heart, the longing for something that will make life complete.

Many people try to satisfy this thirst with different things: Material possessions, relationships, pleasure, alcohol, food. But none of these things can truly satisfy the emptiness in the human heart. You may drink alcohol, but once the effect fades, you return to the same emptiness. Material things cannot guarantee lasting peace.

In the Gospel, Jesus meets the Samaritan woman at the well. This woman believed that her fulfillment would come through relationships with men. She had five husbands and was living with another man who was not her husband. Yet she still lacked fulfillment. She came to the well at a time when no one else was there perhaps to avoid judgment, shame, or embarrassment. The jar she carried was symbolic of the burden and emptiness she carried in her life. But that day, she encountered Jesus.

Jesus offered her something greater than ordinary water. He said:
Whoever drinks the water that I give will never thirst again. This was the living water, the grace, peace, and fulfillment that only God can give.

Many of us think our identity or validation must come from other people. Some think they can only become what God wants them to be through another person. But God has given each person a unique gift and purpose. There is something inside you that God has placed there, a calling, a mission, a purpose that no one else can fulfill.

After her encounter with Jesus, the Samaritan woman experienced transformation. She left her water jar behind and ran back to the town to tell others about Jesus. From her test, she received her testimony. The woman who once hid from people became an evangelizer. She became a witness to the Gospel. Perhaps she could not find fulfillment in marriage because God had prepared her for something greater, to become a messenger of the Good News.

Human beings constantly desire more. When we pray for something and receive it, very soon we begin praying for the next thing. This shows that material things cannot satisfy our deepest desires. Our true satisfaction can only come from our Master, Jesus Christ. No living thing can survive without it. Even industries cannot operate without water. Many conflicts in parts of the world, especially in the Middle East, are connected to access to water. But even more important is the spiritual thirst of the human soul.

The Psalmist says, “My soul thirsts for God.” Like the Samaritan woman, we too must cry out, “Lord, give me this water, so that I will not thirst again.”

Sometimes when life does not go the way we expect, we become restless and thirsty inside. In those moments, do not turn to temporary solutions.

Only God can quench the thirst of the human soul. When Jesus satisfied the Samaritan woman’s thirst, she became a joyful witness to others.

I pray for you today that God quench every thirst in your life. May He fill the emptiness in your heart. And may your struggles be transformed from thirst into testimonies.
Amen.

Compiled By Elijah Ugani