Divine Mercy is–

Infinite.

Free.

Bold.

Powerful.

Trustworthy.

I am–

A pilgrim of mercy.

Water is essential to life. The stages of dehydration are brutal. One day without water and you will experience dry mouth, fatigue, and a thirst that prevents you from thinking about anything else. Two days without water and you develop headaches, dizziness, confusion, rapid heartbeat, and decreased blood pressure. By day three without water, you experience severe fatigue, the inability to sweat or urinate, organ failure. 70% of the world's population wouldn't survive three days without water. Our society has become obsessed with bottled water. There are 2,735 bottled water companies in the United States alone. Bottled water was a $300 billion industry in 2022 and is expected to be a $500 billion industry by 2032. And while our obsession with bottled water grows, there are two billion people on the planet who don't have safe drinking water in their homes. Two billion people in this world, in our day and age, on our watch. 700 million people lack access to clean water altogether. The other 1.3 billion must walk inhumane distances to access safe drinking water. Let me tell you a story. Malio is a 35-year-old mother of six children in Kenya. She walks 15 miles each day to collect water. This takes six hours a day. Her family needs about 10 gallons of water each day, but 10 gallons of water weighs 90 pounds, and Malio can only carry five gallons of water.

So often, her family goes without the water they desperately need. In more than 100 countries around the world, people wake up every day and their most urgent question surrounds obtaining enough water simply to survive the day. Malio's story is tragically common. There are millions of women like her around the world. The burden of finding water and collecting water for their families falls overwhelmingly on women and their daughters of all ages. And this has a devastating impact on their opportunities for education. On average, women in developing countries walk 3.5 miles a day, carrying five gallons of water, weighing approximately 45 pounds. But most of the world continues to look away. The corporal work of mercy to give drink to the thirsty calls us to address this fundamental human need, not just as an act of charity, but as a response to the sacred dignity of every person. Living this work of mercy today requires compassion, action, and a commitment to human justice. Jesus said to the righteous, "For I was thirsty and you gave me a drink." These words remind us that meeting the needs of the thirsty is more than an act of kindness. It is an encounter with Christ Himself. When we quench another's thirst, we are not merely providing water. We are offering hope, dignity, mercy, and love.

When Jesus was on the cross, he cried out, "I thirst." In response to his desperate plea, the soldiers gave him wine mixed with gao. This bitter combination would have only increased his dehydration and added to his misery. There's a disturbing truth to face in all of this. I cannot help but think that we are treating the people who are desperate for clean water the same way the soldiers treated Jesus. They cry out in thirst, and our response leaves a bitter taste. And in all this, the gospel continues to challenge me to radically alter the way I am living my life. Thirst is a major issue in our world.

We may feel called to do something about it. If so, donate to a charity, volunteer, or go on a mission trip focused on helping people get access to clean water. But the rest of us shouldn't make the mistake of thinking we can't live out this work of mercy, because as we discovered with hunger, there are many forms of thirst. We meet people every day who are crying out, "I thirst." They may not lack access to clean water, but their souls are dying of thirst, and the culture gives them wine mixed with gold, which only increases their dehydration and adds to their spiritual misery. We are each thirsty in our own ways.

You know your thirst, and I know mine. Your thirst may be different next week, and it may be the same. But the reality is our souls are thirsty, and we cannot satisfy a spiritual thirst with a worldly potion. Most people in our culture are severely spiritually dehydrated. Our spiritual thirst is real, and it isn't going away. Giving drink to the thirsty also means quenching people's spiritual thirst. The challenge of clean water was a significant issue during Jesus' times also. He wasn't indifferent to people's need for water to quench their physical thirst, but he also called attention to their spiritual thirst.

Jesus speaks about living water in the gospel of John, saying, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink." As the Scripture has said, out of the believer's heart, rivers of living water will flow. Mercy is always an invitation to a better life in large ways and small ways. We have a responsibility to attend to our own spiritual thirst, to dig a well by developing a robust prayer life, by developing a daily practice of prayer and reflection. That's how we dig our own well. Once we have dug our own well, we can help others to do the same. Teach someone how to pray. Teach someone how to create holy moments. Start a prayer group.

Host a Bible study. Invite someone to go to adoration with you. Give someone a great spiritual book. There are so many practical ways to help other people gain access to the living water they so desperately need. It's no coincidence that the image of divine mercy shows streams of crystal clear water flowing from the heart of Jesus. Mercy is love reaching out to misery. Jesus wants His living waters to gush forth into the world and hydrate every soul. Trust, surrender, believe, receive. 50 million American Catholics have stopped going to mass over the past 30 years. If you think that is sad and tragic, I'm right there with you. If you think they have no idea what they are missing out on, I'm right there with you. And if you wish we could change that for future generations, our children, and our grandchildren, I'm right there with you. Dynamic Catholic is incredibly excited to announce that we're creating a game-changing program that will transform the way Catholics, young and old, experience the mass forever. Nobody who experiences this program will ever say mass is boring ever again. Help us eradicate mass is boring from the Catholic vernacular. Click the button below, choose your welcome gift, and become a Dynamic Catholic Ambassador today. Have a great day and remember, Be Bold, Be Catholic.

Eternal God.

In whom mercy is endless.

And the treasury of compassion inexhaustible.

Look kindly upon us.

And increase your mercy in us.

That in difficult moments–

–we might not despair.

Nor become despondent.

But with great confidence.

Submit ourselves to your holy will.

Which is love and mercy itself.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

See you tomorrow.

Thank you, Ambassadors.

You are changing the world.

Have a great day.

Have a great day.

Have a great day.

Hey, Harry. One of the best ways to be a pilgrim of mercy is to collaborate with God to create holy moments. So I figured while we got a couple of moments here, you could inspire the audience. So let me ask you, what is today's Holy Moment Challenge?

Tell someone why you love them.