Longing, Yearning for God

Homily for the Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today, Paul’s words mark a turning point in the Letter to the Romans. After unfolding the vast mystery of God’s mercy, Paul now turns toward us and speaks of how we are to live in response to that mercy. His invitation is gentle and profound:

“Offer your lives to God, and let your minds be renewed.”

Paul is describing a way of life shaped from within. When he speaks of offering our bodies as a “living sacrifice,” he is pointing to the daily choices that reveal what our hearts hold—our acts of patience, of kindness, our willingness to forgive, and our readiness to serve. These become our offering and the quiet liturgy of our lives.

Then Paul adds a second movement:

“Do not conform yourselves to this age, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.”

This renewal is a clear recognition of the grace that helps us see the world through God’s eyes. It is the strength that helps us discern what truly matters. It is the wisdom that helps us recognize God’s presence in the ordinary rhythms of our days. Paul is inviting us to live with a mind awakened by grace.

Jeremiah’s experience echoes this transformation. He feels God’s word burning within him, urging him forward even when the path is difficult. His heart has been shaped by God’s presence, and that presence becomes his strength. In the Gospel, Jesus speaks of the cost of discipleship—of taking up the cross and following him. This is a call to fidelity, to love that remains steady, to trust that God’s way leads to life.

Our responsorial for this Sunday is Psalm 63, one of the most beautiful prayers in Scripture because it begins where faith truly begins:

“O God, you are my God, for you I long.”

This psalm is prayed at the very start of Morning Prayer on every Sunday, and every feast or solemnity in the liturgical calendar. The Church places it there deliberately. It is the perfect way to begin one’s day. Before we speak any other words, before we ask for anything, before we reflect on Scripture, we begin with longing. We begin by acknowledging that our hearts reach toward God even before our minds fully understand why. Without God, life is like parched and lifeless soil. Nothing can grow without water. We cannot grow without God.

This longing is a sign of our relationship with God. It is the quiet truth that we are made for God, and that our hearts recognize this even when our lives feel scattered or busy or burdened. Psalm 63 teaches us that longing is itself a form of prayer—an opening of the heart that allows grace to enter.

Paul’s invitation to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice…to be transformed by the renewal of one’s mind is the natural movement of a heart that longs for God. When we desire God, we begin to see our lives differently. We begin to recognize that our daily choices, our relationships, our work—all of these can become offerings.

This longing leads to sacrifice which leads to renewal. Renewal leads to the transformation that echoes the passage we proclaim today. Paul is describing the spiritual path that begins in Psalm 63. Longing for God shapes the whole spiritual life and awakens us to God’s presence in our lives. It helps us recognize grace in places we once overlooked. It makes us attentive. It steadies us. Jeremiah’s fire, Jesus’ call to take up the cross—these become possible when our hearts are anchored in a desire for God rather than fear or duty.

Longing for God transforms us. It draws us into the renewed mind Paul describes. We begin to see the world through God’s wisdom rather than the patterns of the age. Psalm 63 gives us the heart. Romans 12 gives us the mind. The Gospel gives us the path. Jeremiah gives us the fire.  Together they form a single movement: a heart that longs for God becomes a life that follows Christ.