June 22, 2019 – Saturday 11^th Week in OT

Mt. 6:24-34

Jesus said to his disciples:
“No one can serve two masters.
He will either hate one and love the other,
or be devoted to one and despise the other.
You cannot serve God and mammon.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life,
what you will eat or drink,
or about your body, what you will wear.
Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
Look at the birds in the sky;
they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns,
yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are not you more important than they?
Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?
Why are you anxious about clothes?
Learn from the way the wild flowers grow.
They do not work or spin.
But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor
was clothed like one of them.
If God so clothes the grass of the field,
which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow,
will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith?
So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’
or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear?’
All these things the pagans seek.
Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness,
and all these things will be given you besides.
Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself.
Sufficient for a day is its own evil.”

Do you find yourself worrying a lot? Do you feel anxious every now and then with so many things?

The Gospel of the Lord.

Our worries and anxieties may have been there since we have become conscious about ourselves and about the world. Naturally, parents would tend to worry about their growing children. Students would feel anxious about their exams and the future that they are going to take. Lovers may feel anxious of the security in their relationship. Workers and professionals may worry with the demands of their work and their relationships among their colleagues and superiors.

Moreover, we can be worrisome also even in unimportant and small things as to what we are going to wear, how do we look like and appear before others, what kind of gadgets and brand of shirt we are to purchase for ourselves, what kind of haircut should fit us and what color should we choose for our nails, etc.

When we only settle with these trivial things making ourselves worried and anxious, then, we are losing the most important aspects of our life. Our worries and anxieties may distract our peace and even remove us from what are more important.

Jesus invites his disciples to set their hearts and seek instead the kingdom of God. Jesus felt that his disciples had grown to be more worried about their food, their appearance before the people, their security and even their future. Because of so much worries and anxiety, the disciples were not able to focus to what was more important. They became distracted and settled only with trivial things about their life

Because of these worries and anxieties their hearts were full that it prevented God to fill them, to surprise them and satisfy them. Jesus also wants us that we become free from worries and anxieties that only prevent God to come to us and fill us with his presence.

Seeking God’s kingdom and His righteousness means realizing our confidence in God who is most generous to us.

To seek God’s Kingdom also means to be more familiar with God’s presence that is continually unfolded in our everyday experiences. When we become familiar with His presence then, we also grow in confidence and faith in God.

To seek God’s righteousness also means to be more attuned with what God desires for us. God’s desires will always lead us to peace, freedom and joy. However, if we refuse to seek His righteousness, then, it means walking away from His offer of peace, freedom and joy and instead making ourselves to be overwhelmed with our worries and anxieties.

Walking away from God’s offer is also a refusal to live in God’s desire for us. And we will never have peace, freedom and joy. We shall be constantly insecure, restricted, bitter and angry.

Thus, let us seek God’s Kingdom and His righteousness that we may also find freedom from unnecessary worries and anxieties and become more confident in this God who is ever faithful to us. God is truly generous, blessing us abundantly with his presence. Hinaut pa.

Jom Baring, CSsR