Monday, August 3, 2009

Psalm 42:1

Poemen said, "It is written, 'As the hart longs for the waterbrooks, so longs my soul for you, O my God' (Psalm 42:1). Indeed the harts in the desert eat many snakes and when their venom makes them burn with thirst they come to the waters to assuage their burning thirst. It is the same for monks: in the desert, they are burned by the poison of the demons and they long for Saturday and Sunday to come so that they can go to the springs of water, that is, to the Body and Blood of the Lord, to be purified from the poison of the evil ones."

~~A Thicket of Deer at the Stream of Plaisir-Fontaine, 1866, by Gustave Courbet, 1819-1877

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Ah,yes,my soul searches after thee, oh Lord. Day and night my soul searches for thee. You are the springs of water that fill me up, Oh Lord. Fill me more and more with all of you so that I can withstand the days of evil that are brought upon me, mostly by myself and, of course, others. Yes, my soul desperately searches after thee, oh Lord, that I might even begin to be more like YOU.