Before Jesus gave up His spirit to the Father, He cried out: "I thirst" and "It is finished." St. John hints at their inner unity. Only when Our Lord knew "that all was now finished," the evangelist writes, was He able to declare "I thirst," receive the vinegar, and pronounce the consummation of His life's work. Maria explored this mysterious connection. Christ's most profound thirst, she said, was His passionate longing for the salvation of the human race. He did indeed drink it, and at last He was satisfied. In "I thirst," we hear the groan of divine desire; in "It is finished," a cry of desire fulfilled.

After this Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), "I thirst." A bowl full of vinegar stood there; so they put a sponge full of the vinegar on hyssop and held it to His mouth. When Jesus had received the vinegar, He said, "It is finished!" - John 19:28-30

With excerpts from:

• The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ by Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich (https://bit.ly/3kaeP6l)
• The Mystical City of God by Ven. Mary of Agreda (https://bit.ly/3IhySaO)

GET THE BOOK - The Passion: Reflections on the Suffering and Death of Jesus Christ by Paul Thigpen (https://bit.ly/3IiSNpM)