A poem about rivers flowing (1)

In this reflection, His Holiness Pope Shenouda III recalls some old verses he composed during his high school years in the 1940s, when he observed the great gap between the rich and the poor in society. He describes a touching scene of a poor man surrounded by rivers of plenty, yet unable to drink from them, saying in his poem: “Rivers around him flow with sweet water, yet he thirsts for a drop to quench his dryness.”

🕊 Main Idea:
The verses express a deep sense of social injustice and human suffering, showing a compassionate heart that felt for others even in youth.

🌿 Spiritual Dimension:
Spiritually, the reflection draws a parallel between physical thirst and the soul’s thirst for God. Just as the body needs water, the soul needs divine grace to be refreshed from the dryness of sin.

💧 Educational Message:
This message calls us to open our hearts with compassion and see others’ needs through the eyes of love. True satisfaction does not come from wealth but from giving and caring for others, for only God is the eternal source of fulfillment.

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