Homily – 2nd Sunday – A – Fr Jerry Browne

Homily – 2nd Sunday – A – Fr Jerry Browne

Regina Riley tells a story that many parents can probably relate to. For years she had prayed that her two sons would return to the Church.

Then one Sunday morning, out of the blue, both her boys arrived at Mass and sat beside her. She was thrilled. After Mass she asked what had prompted their return. The younger son explained that while they were on holidays, one Sunday morning, they were driving down a mountain road. It was raining cats and dogs. Suddenly they came across an old man without an umbrella. He was soaked to the skin, walked with a limp, but trudged along with quiet determination.

The brothers decided to stop and offer the old man a lift. It turned out that the man was on his way to Mass at a church three miles down the road. The boys drove the man to church, and since it was pouring rain and they had nothing better to do, they decided that they might as well go Mass as well.

As the two brothers listened to the reading and sat through the familiar ritual of the breaking of the bread, something moved them deeply.

The only way they could explain it later was: “You know Mom it felt so right. Like getting home after a long, tiring trip.”

Have you ever felt like that when you come to church – that sense of reconnecting with a deep truth about who you are; a quiet certainty that faith in Christ Jesus matters; an inner nudge inviting you to become the best version of yourself.

Our readings today remind us that this invitation to grow, to be more, is ongoing. It is easy to come to a place where we are satisfied with our lives, where we are content, or maybe where we have fallen into a rut – but the Lord reminds us that he isn’t finished with us yet.

In the first reading from the prophet Isaiah, (49:3, 5–6), Israel, the servant of the Lord, thinks his work is done, but then the Lord declares “It is too little, the LORD says, for you to be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and restore the survivors of Israel; I will make you light to the nations that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” God isn’t finished with him yet. God has more in store for him than he could have possibly imagined.

Calling us to a new place, to continue to grow is not about private perfection or spiritual comfort, or living a pious life. It is about growing into the person God is calling us to be. In a sense, it is about growing in holiness.

Holiness is about allowing God to stretch our sense of what is possible, to move us beyond what is familiar, safe, or convenient.

The psalm this morning (40:2, 4, 7–10) echoes this movement. Here we hear the psalmist speaks of being lifted out of the pit and given a new song to sing. God doesn’t simply rescue us so that we can stand still. God rescues us so that our lives might speak, witness, and draw others towards hope. Holiness always has momentum. It leans forward. It is calling us to something new.

Saint Paul, writing to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 1:1–3), a very ordinary and often messy community, begins his letter with remarkable confidence. He begins “to the church of God that is in Corinth, to you who have been sanctified, made saints in Christ Jesus, called to be holy”. He doesn’t wait until they have everything sorted out. He names their calling before they even feel ready for it themselves.

Holiness, then, is not a reward for good behaviour. Holiness is a direction of travel. It is responding, day by day, to God’s invitation to be more, to be better, to grow.

The Gospel today (John 1:29–34), brings this sharply into focus. We hear how John the Baptist points away from himself and says, “Look, there is the Lamb of God.” John knows who he is and who he is not. His holiness lies in pointing beyond himself. Being more, in this Gospel, means becoming less self-absorbed and more God-directed.

So, what does being more, growing in holiness look like in ordinary life? Being more, growing in holiness, might mean listening without fixing; being more, growing in holiness might mean forgiving without winning; being more, growing in holiness might mean staying when walking away would be easier. Being more, growing in holiness might mean choosing patience instead of sharp words at home. Being more growing in holiness could be taking faith seriously again after years of drifting, like those two brothers who stepped into church and remembered what was important in their life.

Holiness grows when small choices line up with deep values. Holiness takes shape when Sunday worship slowly reshapes Monday decisions, and Tuesday and Wednesday decisions. Holiness happens when faith becomes less about habit and more about remembering who we belong to.

Those two brothers didn’t plan a conversion experience. They simply responded to a human need. Grace did the rest. God often meets us while we are busy doing something kind, something practical, something maybe unspectacular.

That old man walking through the rain didn’t preach a sermon. He simply lived his faith with determination. His quiet witness stirred something deeper than words. His faith touched those young men even though he never said a word. Perhaps holiness begins exactly there: living in such a way that others glimpse where home truly is. They see what your faith means to you and are inspired by it.

The Eucharist we celebrate today is a reminder that Christ meets us where we are. Christ meets us where we are, not because we have arrived, but because we are on the way. Christ calls us, not to be perfect, but to be more loving, more attentive, more courageous, more like him.

The Lord is still calling. The invitation to be more, to grow in holiness remains open. The question today is simple and demanding: where, right now, is God asking you to take the next step? Where might you be meant to grow in holiness, and how will you respond?

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Please consider praying a decade of the rosary on a daily basis for the evangelising Mission of the Church and the Pope’s intentions.

The pope’s prayer intention for January is: For Prayer With The Word Of God

Let us pray that praying with the Word of God be nourishment for our lives and a source of hope in our communities, helping us build a more fraternal and missionary Church.

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Blessed Pauline Jaricot, Pray for us. 🙏🏼🙏🏼

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