Follow the Leader.

Homily for the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

August 4, 2024

 

Are you familiar with the story of lemmings? They’re rugged little animals about the size of mice, and according to stories in Europe, they occasionally migrate by the millions for days and nights until they reach the coast. When they reach the sea, they just keep going, swimming straight out until they drown.

 

We wonder why such a thing happens. One theory is that this is nature’s way of controlling the population of lemmings—which scientists have said is not true. So why do the lemmings “follow the leader” and don’t think about where they are going?

 

That happens to people, as well, I think. We can start to follow someone—a family member, a friend, a political leader, a popular entertainer or sports figure—and not really stop to think about where the journey will end.

 

I remember when I was a teenager and I wanted to do something that my parents didn’t immediately approve. I would argue, “But all the others can go.” And my mother would say something like, “If the others jumped into the canal in the middle of winter, would you follow them?”

 

Another thing I remember about being a teenager: I had a voracious appetite, and it seemed I could eat and eat without gaining a pound. Did you ever open the refrigerator door, feeling hungry, and stare and stare, not finding anything in particular that you wanted to eat? Or did you eat something salty, like ham, and then drink glass after glass of water, but it wouldn’t get rid of the thirst?

 

Well consider what Jesus says in the gospel: “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” Of course, we hunger and thirst for a lot of things, not just food and water. We hunger to feel loved, we thirst for acceptance, we pray that we might find a way to end loneliness, we want to fit in, feeling that life is worth living and we mean something to somebody. Sometimes, we look here, look there, try this, try that, and still feel a deep hunger, a monumental thirst, an ache to feel contented and satisfied.

 

I find that, if I’m facing a problem, or dealing with a dilemma, or just feeling that life in our times is one big mess—I find that, if I pray, something as simple as slowly saying the Our Father, my attitude begins to change. And asking what Jesus would do, or what Jesus would have me do, in this situation—it makes a difference. I see things more clearly, from a larger perspective—and then, I am less hungry, less thirsty, less confused.

 

It’s all about knowing whom to follow. Certainly, we can get involved in political parties, or various social groups, and our opinions can differ. But, at a deeper level, our relationship with the Lord can help us to have deeper insight, make sure we have the right attitudes, and move us to live in accord with the values of God’s kingdom. And let’s not forget the offer the Lord makes: “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”   

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