Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Matthew 5:6
The world says “You’ve got to be kidding. Hungering and thirsting for righteousness in this world is a waste of time. It’s a dog-eat-dog world. You’ve got to be on your toes or you’ll end up on someone’s trophy room wall. In this jungle we call life, the ones who succeed are the shrewd, for they always are a jump ahead of the other guy.” This is the way of the world.
The way of God is something else altogether different. Did you know that hunger is a sign of health? When we are sick, we lose our appetite, so loss of appetite is a sign of one who is not well. We also know that we cannot survive without food. As for one who is full, he cannot be fed. He is satisfied.
Loss of spiritual appetite is a sign of one who is not spiritually well. Some people are “full” of the wrong things—idols, false gods, lust, greed, pride—these actually will not permanently satisfy them so they are still empty and hungry but keep going after the wrong things. The story of the rich man who went away sorrowful, told in Luke 18, tells us that the young man went away with a sense of sorrow because he lacked a sense of God—he was satisfied with himself, but did not hunger for God. Thus, it is not he who thinks he has attained righteousness who is called blessed but the one who hungers and thirsts for it.
There is an intrinsic hunger for God. Each of us has a void that can only be filled by God, though many spend a lifetime filling it with other things. There is a sense of loneliness and homesickness for God’s kingdom, which is a natural desire, the desire for the kingdom, that some cover with other things. And no matter how confident or how successful we are, we all feel lonely at times. There are times when, even if we are married and have friends, we still feel lonely, i.e. a patient in a hospital feels lonely; when I’m counseling someone, I feel lonely because there is no one immediately available to help; each of us has inward fears, fears we think are irrational, failures we are afraid to admit to others. This loneliness is not all bad, however. Sometimes loneliness and discontent (whether it be because of illness, fear, feeling overwhelmed) help us wake up to God.
Do we thirst for God, or for the things that are not of God? God thirsts for our repentance, our homecoming (like the Father of the Prodigal Son who was hoping for his lost son to return), but like the Prodigal Son, we must come to ourselves and thirst for our Father. We must steer away from the thirst for the false gods of money, pleasure, success, fame, popularity and other idols. That is not to say that these things are intrinsically bad. Success is a good thing. But we must thirst most of all for the things of God, over material things.
Hungering for righteousness is to be passionate about the things of God. It means that we are concerned with doing what is right in the eyes of God. Morality shifts from year to year—what was once wrong in the eyes of God and society, has now become acceptable in the eyes of society. But what once was immoral and now moral by societal stands is still wrong when measured against the righteousness of God. For though morality changes, righteousness does not.
How are we filled with righteousness? The first way is through a life a prayer, using prayer as a daily comfort, not a crutch in times of crisis. Reading of Scripture should also accompany prayer, since prayer is where we speak to God and Scripture is one way that God speaks to us. The sacramental life of the church is called “the sacramental life” because it is meant to be a way of living. We are supposed to participate often and regularly in the Eucharist and confession, preparing for the Eucharist with regular fasting. The Eucharist is received in the context of worship, which is done in the context of community. Being part of a community and worshipping together in that community also helps to fill us.
The Greek word for “satisfied” is hortasthisonte. This word actually goes beyond satisfaction. It actually means overflowing. Imagine you’ve eaten so much that there isn’t room for even another bite of food. We are not only filled. We are stuffed. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, as a reward, are not only filled. They are filled to overflowing. They experience contentment rather than want. They feel satisfied and do not desire anything else. In a world where we always seem to be unsatisfied, where we attain one goal and immediately desire more, hungering and thirsting for righteousness, and filling ourselves with these things, are the only way we can really feel content.
Therefore, we must fill ourselves with prayer, the sacramental life (Fasting, Eucharist, confession), worship, and the reading of scripture, so that we can both grow our hunger for righteousness and know how to fill that hunger with things of God.
I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exult His name together! I sought the Lord and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. Look to Him, and be radiant; so your faces shall never be ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and delivers them. O taste and see that the Lord is good! Happy is the man who takes refuge in Him! O fear the Lord, you His saints, for those who fear Him have no want! The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. Come, O sons, listen to me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord. What man is there who desires life, and covets many days, that he may enjoy good? Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips form speaking deceit. Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursuit it. The eyes of the Lord are towards the righteous, and His ears toward their cry. The face of the Lord is against evildoers, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the Lord delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked; and those who hate the righteous will be condemned. The Lord redeems the life of His servants; none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned. Psalm 34
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Point to ponder: For what do I most hunger and thirst? How much do I long for a closer relationship with God? What draws me closer to God? Away from God?
