22 June, 2024 | Saturday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
Reading1: 2 Chr 24:17-25
Gospel 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 splendour
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."
Reflection:
Worry wastes time. It undermines our faith in God’s Divine Providence and diverts our attention to the exaggeration of the negative factors in our environment. In today’s Gospel, Jesus strongly condemns this sickness.
It is impossible to serve wearisome worry that comes from man and to enjoy the wonderment that comes from God, at the same time. Jesus uses several examples to illustrate God’s wisdom and thoughtfulness while caring for us. The birds of the air neither sow nor reap but are provided with food, so also the flowers do not sew yet they are clothed with the most delicate of petals. They neither worry nor weep, but fulfil their daily works studiously.
Jesus says that as children of God, our focus must be keen on seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. When God can take care of the birds and the bees, surely, he values us much more to provide for us all that we need.
Activity:
Find out what you worry most about and put an end to its root cause.
Comments
Post a Comment