Homily – 4th Sunday – A – Fr Jeremiah Browne (National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies #southafrica #Botswana #eswatini #Swaziland)
There is a cute little fable attributed to C. L. James about a wise old cat who notices a kitten chasing its tail. The wise old cat asks the kitten, “Why are you chasing your tail, my son?” The kitten replies, “I have learned that the best thing for a cat is happiness, and happiness is my tail. Therefore, I am chasing it, and when I catch it, I shall have happiness.”
The wise old cat responds, “My son, I too have paid attention to the problems of the universe. I too have judged that happiness is my tail. But I noticed that whenever I chase after it, it keeps running away from me, but when I go about my business, it just seems to come after me wherever I go.”
That story touches something very human. Each of us is chasing something. For some it is security, the hope that if everything is stable then life will make sense. For others it is success, recognition, or being seen and valued. Many chase peace of mind, good health, or simply the desire to be happy. Young people are often chasing purpose. Older hearts may be looking for reassurance that their lives have mattered. Whatever the shape it takes, we all carry a longing that pulls us forward.
In today’s Gospel, (Matthew 5:1-12) Jesus speaks directly into that longing. Saint Matthew tells us that Jesus goes up the mountain and teaches his disciples, offering what we now call the Beatitudes.
The beatitudes, are the blueprint for Christian living. They are descriptions of how we might live our best life. They speak of virtues of such as being poor in spirit, being merciful, being meek, being peacemakers and pure of heart. These are virtues most people admire and aspire to, even if they never set foot in a church. They speak to the best of what we hope to become.
One Beatitude stands out, however, because it blesses desire rather than achievement. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” In other words, people who hunger and thirst for something better – they shall be satisfied.
Most of the Beatitudes describe qualities that, at least in part, can be recognised in a person’s life. We can see when someone is merciful, a peacemaker or pure of heart, even if imperfectly.
Th 4th Beatitude is different. Hunger and thirst speak of lack. They describe people who know something is missing, people who have not yet arrived. Somehow, this beatitude reminds us that Jesus doesn’t wait until righteousness is achieved before he pronounces a blessing. He blesses the longing itself. He blesses the striving. He blesses the restless heart that wants to live rightly, even when it struggles to do so.
This is why it leaves room for everyone. It embraces those who maybe feel inadequate, people who are still on the journey. It reassures any of us who who looks at the other Beatitudes and thinks, “That is who I want to be, but I am not quite there yet.” Jesus says that this very desire already places us within God’s blessing.
This Beatitude also reminds us that righteousness is not self-made. Hunger and thirst cannot be willed away. They point beyond ourselves to something that we need to receive. In the same way, a just and faithful life is not something we manufacture through our effort alone. It is something God helps us to achieve, shaping us over time as we keep turning towards him.
Saint Paul echoes this wisdom in the second reading when he writes to the Corinthians: “Consider your own call, brothers and sisters” (1 Corinthians 1:26–31). Paul reminds them that God doesn’t choose according to the world’s measures of strength, success, or status. God chooses what is small, overlooked, and ordinary. God works through people who know their need and rely on grace rather than their own achievements. Maybe we recognise ourselves in the at cohort, small, lowly, ordinary perhaps – and might God still have a plan for us.
Together, these readings offer reassurance and direction. They tell us that fulfilment is not found by striving to be perfect or by measuring ourselves against others. It comes as we go about the quiet, faithful business of living the Gospel: turning towards God, choosing mercy over judgement, seeking justice even when it costs us something, and trusting that God is at work in us long before we see the results.
The Beatitudes assure us that God blesses not only the saints we admire, but also the seekers, the strugglers like ourselves who want to grow in our faith. The hunger to live rightly, to love more deeply, and to become the person God calls us to be is already a sign of grace at work within us. If there is a desire in you to be better, that is God’s grace at work in you.
So what is it that your heart is chasing at this moment in life? Where do you notice a hunger for something more just, more true,
more loving? Perhaps the invitation today is not to run harder, but to trust more deeply, and to let God’s blessing meet you right where you are on your journey.
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If you would like to make a monetary donation to support the Mission of the Church you can do so on our website using the give button: https://missio-sacbc.org/donate
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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 February is “For children with incurable diseases.”
Let us pray that children suffering from incurable diseases and their families receive the necessary medical care and support, never losing strength and hope.
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Blessed Pauline Jaricot, Pray for us. 🙏🏼🙏🏼
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