Stranded on a Desert Island

 13Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?"
 14I answered, "Sir, you know."
   And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15Therefore,    "they are before the throne of God       and serve him day and night in his temple;    and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them.  16Never again will they hunger;       never again will they thirst.    The sun will not beat upon them,       nor any scorching heat.  17For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd;       he will lead them to springs of living water.    And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."  Revelation 7:13-17 

Every now and then I like to watch the TV reality show Survivor. I’m not a die hard fan that won’t miss an episode, but I do enjoy the episodes that I get a chance to watch. I often wonder whether or not I am survivor material. Then I think about the lack of food and the lack of water. Growing up as I have, firmly entrenched in the middle class, I don’t think I have a clear idea of what hunger or thirst is all about. The most that I have ever endured is a few hours without food so that I could take some medical test. As for water or some form of liquid, I can’t recall and extended period when these items were not available. Thus, I have never really had a thirst because of my physical condition.

The fourth stanza of the hymn “I Love to Tell the Story”, says this:

I love to tell the story, for those who know it best
seem hungering and thirsting to hear it like the rest.
And when in scenes of glory, I sing the new, new song,
‘twill be the old, old story that I have loved so long.

This stanza reminds me that while I may not have experienced a physical hunger or thirst, I have experienced the spiritual equivalent. My soul longs to hear the “old, old story” that has shaped who I am and that has shown me God’s plan and purpose for my life.  As it says in the Scripture:

16Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. 17For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water.

Jesus has promised us that our deepest spiritual hungers and thirsts will be met by an ever flowing spring of living water that comes from him. Spiritually, I recognize that many times I have been thirsty. I have been in desperate need of the nourishment that comes from God’s word and the grace that comes from the sacrament of Holy Communion. Praise God that this hunger and thirst can be satisfied in ways that I do not fully understand.