'I have never worried about our
temporal affairs, and I have seen by experience that God has always provided
for us. When we were two, Providence provided enough for two; for four when we
were four; and when our number increased the needs of all were supplied, thus
verifying the divine promise: "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His
justice, and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matt. vi. 33.)
"Be not solicitous for your life, what you shall eat, nor for your body,
what you shall put on." (Matt. vi. 25.)' - St. Paul of the Cross
Gospel text: (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.”
A hungry four-year-old opens the
refrigerator door to search for a snack. She asks for candy or cookies or ice
cream. But then her mother introduces her to reality: “If you’re hungry, have a
sandwich, a piece of fruit, or yogurt.” If she were left to her own devices for
too long, malnutrition would set in. It’s only through parental guidance that
she is able to thrive.
It is the responsibility of this
girl’s mother to get her child into the habit of coming to her first, before
she sets her heart on something that may be bad for her. She knows that
eventually her daughter will learn about the dangers of too much junk food and
will choose more healthy snacks. But for now, Mom has to make all the
decisions.
Can we develop a taste for the good
food that God has to offer? Jesus says that the best thing we can ask for the
Father to give us is “the kingdom of God and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33).
He promises that if we seek these out, then our heavenly Father will provide
for all our other needs—even many of our wants!
These words from Jesus sound so
hopeful and inspiring, don’t they? But sometimes it’s hard for us to act on
them. We may find them comforting, but when push comes to shove, we can still
go for the “junk food” of self-centeredness and self-sufficiency.
Are you feeling anxious about your
life right now? Are you feeling tempted to follow your own wisdom without
asking for the Lord’s guidance? Don’t do it!
Don’t settle for anything less than
all the goodness God has stored up for you!
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