Quench their thirst

After this, aware that everything was now finished, in order that the scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I thirst" (John 19:28)

How often have you given your child something to drink? A cup of juice when he had a cold, a cup of hot chocolate when she came in from sledding, a cold bottle of soda at a picnic, a reassuring drink of water in the middle of the night. Jesus told his disciples, "whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers and sisters, that you do unto me." These family moments are simply examples of times you have responded to Jesus' cry from the cross, "I thirst."

But Jesus was talking about more than physical thirst when he cried out just moments before his death. After a night of torture and agony, Jesus peered deep within himself and identified his deepest longing. He thirsted for water, surely. But he also thirsted for unity with his Father. He let go of fear and doubt so he could hold fast to his deepest truth: that his true identity was to do the will of the One who sent him.

Our children have that deeper thirst, too. They, too, have an innate desire to know and do God's will. And you do enormous good for them when you attend to that spiritual thirst as well as their physical thirst. By recognizing their good works, encouraging prayerful connection with God, accompanying them as they prepare for and receive the sacraments, and helping them discover their own identities as children of God, you teach them to honor that thirst that will keep them seeking God throughout their lives.