I Thirst

Today is Good Friday - the day when Christians commemorate the passion and death of Jesus Christ. It's a day of fast and abstinence and a time of mourning.

A quick Google search gave this explanation of his calling for water toward the end of his crucifixion as he hung on the cross: 'Jesus cries out: "I thirst". The Roman soldiers on duty gave him a drink of sour vinegar-wine mixed with water. Jerusalem's water contained bacteria that could make them violently ill, that's why the soldiers had mixed sour wine with local well water. The soldiers hoped this would kill the bacteria. They had taken it for themselves because they had expected to sit under the hot sun at Calvary. That afternoon, when Jesus called, "I thirst," they took a 24-inch hyssop branch and dipped a sponge in the sour wine and lifted it up to his lips. This small act of kindness refreshed Jesus' thirst'.


Today, I got an email with a picture of a little girl taken from the Sunday Star (date unknown, see picture, left) about the plight of little Valerie, 2 months old and who suffers from complex heart disease. Doctors at Singapore Gleneagles Hospital have given her a 70% chance of recovery IF she can undergo 3 surgeries which would cost approximately S$211,00 (RM481,000). Her father, Jonathan Pillai has turned to all of us to help defray the cost. He has already emptied his life savings of RM23,000. Donations can be sent by cheque to Skudai Catholic Centre, Johor Baru, Parish Office for Human Development or banked directly into Public Bank account: 3146285324. Jonathan's h/p no: 012-7516843

Can we, like the soldiers, give Valerie a little something? If 1,000 people donated just RM10 each that would mean RM10,000. If we put in RM50 each, that would mean RM50,000. It wouldn't solve Jonathan's problem but it would indeed make his burden a little lighter. And we would have given to Jesus as we give to Valerie. She thirsts too.