Thirsty?

by Fr. Don Kline, V.F.  |  03/08/2026  |  Letter from the Pastor

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Thirsty? As Arizona desert dwellers, we know the importance of drinking water... and lots of it. During those hot summer months, there are few things as refreshing as a nice cold beverage to quench our thirst. Not only do wewe enjoy a cool beverage on those hot days, we absolutely must hydrate our bodies or we will not last very long in the summer's heat.

The woman in today's Gospel is thirsty. But as we read the whole story, we discover something that she herself is not aware of just yet. We come to see that this woman is thirsting for something much more than water. She is thirsting for something much more valuable than water. And she also learns what happens when you try to satisfy your real thirsts with something inauthentic.

We find out in today's Gospel that this woman has been married five times. She is now living with a sixth man who is not her husband. The Gospel does not tell us the reasons for all of those marriages, but it appears that she is missing something. She is searching. She is longing. She is thirsting for something much more than any water could satisfy. She is longing for love... the real, authentic love that only Our Lord can offer. The men in her life left her empty and/or looking for something more. She has tried, in so many ways, to satisfy her deepest thirst but it appears she was looking for love in all the wrong places.

Our Lord enters into her life and everything changes for this woman. He speaks with her in an honest conversation. Our Lord is a perfect gentleman. Because of the love of Our Lord, Jesus, this woman comes to understand exactly what she has been thirsting for all along. Our Lord is the answer to all of her prayers. In this one encounter with Our Lord, the love of God brings her to an important realization: "This is what I have been looking for all my life!"

Jesus is the only one who can satisfy real thirsts. Like the woman at the well, our deepest desire is for communion with God. And like the woman at the well, if we don't have Our Lord Jesus in our life, we too will be trapped in an endless cycle of trying to fill our life with things that won't satisfy.

Jesus says to her, "you can keep doing what you're doing, but you'll still be thirsty!" It's not just a thirsty woman at the well who needs the love that Our Lord alone can offer. We all fall into a sinful trap at times. At times throughout our life, we all ignore the fact that we have a longing for real communion with Christ. Only an authentic and active life of prayer and service can satisfy that desire. We all have a God-sized hole in us that only God can fill. It's only our relationship with GOD that can REALLY fulfill us.

When some of us experience this thirst in our souls, we believe that if we just drink enough alcohol, or eat enough food, or spend enough money, THEN we will feel satisfied. But your soul is not thirsting for booze or food or cash - Your soul is thirsting for Our Lord, Jesus Christ. My brothers and sisters, at our deepest core, we all crave a living relationship with Christ. That's how we are made.

If you pray, if you worship, if you serve others, you will find the authentic love your heart desires. If you do not, you will keep trying to fill your soul with things that will never satisfy your desires. Don't be afraid to change your life. Jesus is worth it. Jesus is real. Jesus alone can fill you. Don't settle for anything less.

God Bless,

Fr. Don Kline