The afflicted and the needy seek water in vain, their tongues are parched with thirst. I, the LORD, will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will open up rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the broad valleys; I will turn the desert into a marshland, and the dry ground into springs of water. (Is 41:13-20)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121423.cfm
If God will not forsake the afflicted and the needy . . . will we? Saint John of the Cross (1542-1591), and his mentor Saint Teresa of Ávila (1515-1582) suffered greatly at the hands of the church. Yet at the same time, both of them spent their lives renewing the church through their commitment to prayer and contemplation. Today’s picture is a drawing of the crucifixion by John of the Cross.
These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
Saint John of the Cross, presbyter & doctor, December 14
