Father Anthony encourages us to pray this scripture when we’ve been through a trial of faith, knowing that God is with us and we have reason to be ever hopeful.

Father Anthony uses the story of Jacob wrestling with the Angel to demonstrate that when we surrender our will and trust God, we are then blessed by Him.

Father Anthony reflects on the urgency and tenderness of John 7:37–39, set on the final and greatest day of the feast, when Jesus suddenly cries out above the noise of ritual and crowds: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.” It is a startling invitation—not to effort, observance, or mastery, but to thirst itself—as if longing were the doorway God has been waiting to open.