Selection of the sermons of Father Ezekiel Oko
Thirst for a fulfilled life
Dear sisters and brothers, today it is again a great joy to be able to gather around the table of the Eucharist, where every time we receive much grace and strength to live.
It is especially fitting that we hear about thirst in the Word of God today. On the one hand, this is about our basic need for drinking water, but on the other hand, it is about a thirst for another level - for meaning in life. On both levels it is urgent and vital to quench thirst. It is described as a basic need to emphasize the urgency of its fulfillment.
In the readings we meet the Israelites who were very thirsty in the desert. They urgently needed drinking water. But her thirst for orientation, i.e. for meaning in life, was greater. With the help of Moses and God's care, they were supplied with water. But how do they satisfy their longing for orientation, for security? Can they hold on to the belief that God will show them the way through the wilderness to the Promised Land? Their recurrent complaint against Moses and Aaron shows how brief their trust in God was.
On the other hand, the woman came to Jacob's well to draw water. She looked for drinking water without knowing that she was longing for the meaning of life. Only the encounter with Jesus opened her eyes to this longing.
When we talk about thirst for drinking water, we think of many people who do not have enough or even no water to drink. They understand well how challenging thirst can be.
Dear sisters and brothers, I can understand when I heard today in the first reading that the whole Israelite congregation in the desert grumbled against Moses and Aaron because they were thirsty. As children and teenagers, my siblings and I had to walk at least 3 kilometers to find drinking water. Even today it hasn't gotten any easier, especially if you live in a village. Wells must be drilled to shorten the distance to the water source.
This experience has taught me not only to be thankful that here in Germany we no longer lack drinking water, but also to think of those who can only meet this basic need with great difficulty.
From my own experience I can only confirm that it is difficult for the hungry and thirsty to perceive God's love. For they are usually so concerned with meeting these basic human needs that they have little strength left to live to perceive God's care. They often lack the ability and health to develop other areas of their lives. We are all called, therefore, to help fight thirst in the world. Even if it's just a small contribution.
In addition to physiological thirst, there is also spiritual thirst, which can affect one despite an abundance of drinking water - a thirst for meaning in life. A lot more people suffer from this.
This, too, must be satisfied before one can find genuine peace and fulfillment. Jesus promises the woman at Jacob's well: “Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again; Rather, the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water flowing into eternal life.” (John 4:14)
Dear sisters and brothers, we humans can never be satisfied with material things. The more material things man possesses, the more intensely he will desire more. The desire for more will not be stopped until we discover in God that we were not created for material possessions, that we have a soul that will never be satisfied by material possessions. Only the love that Jesus gives us can satisfy our soul's longing.
The Eucharist, the body of Christ, which we are allowed to receive in this Holy Mass, is the sacrament of this love. And we must not only receive it, but also pass on its message. In love for one another we can discover the meaning of life and thereby fulfill our soul's longing.
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