Splashing with joy in the waters

On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and shouted, “If you are thirsty, come to me and drink! Have faith in me, and you will have life-giving water flowing from deep inside you, just as the Scriptures say.”  Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit, who would be given to everyone that had faith in him. The Spirit had not yet been given to anyone, since Jesus had not yet been given His full glory. John 7:37-39

So I am loving those little green gmail lights because sometimes people just call for the fun of it, like Matteo called this morning while he was waiting for his Barilla pasta to finish cooking in the monastery he is sharing with a real friar who goes to be at midnight and gets up at six and spends the rest of his life helping drug addicts through restoration. And then Matteo is going to go practice his violin, preparing for his conservatory graduation recital of Bach in a week. And he practices in this soaring fourth century library at the monastery, him and old manuscripts for hours a day. And sometimes life is like that, quiet and beautiful.

But sometimes we thirst. There is an ache inside that quiet contemplation does not fill. And sometimes the Spirit sweeps over us and carries us out the door into the street. And yesterday Matteo stepped outside of the flickering candle-filled cathedral and tottering a bit while he found his landfeet, tasted the deep-flowing stream from within and offered cupfulls of intercession to the man on the street. And God met him there with joy.

And may I drink freely today. This rushing refreshing water is here for the slaking. And then, the next step out the door and down the cathedral steps into the street.

Freely give for freely you have received.