19th of June

Gospel text

(Mt 6,24-34): 

Jesus said to his disciples, «No one can serve two masters; for he will either hate one and love the other, or he will be loyal to the first and look down on the second. You cannot at the same time serve God and money. This is why I tell you not to be worried about food and drink for yourself, or about clothes for your body. Is not life more important than food and is not the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow, they do not harvest and do not store food in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than birds? Can any of you add a day to your life by worrying about it?

»Why are you so worried about your clothes? Look at the flowers in the fields how they grow. They do not toil or spin. But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his wealth was clothed like one of these. If God so clothes the grass in the field which blooms today and is to be burned tomorrow in an oven, how much more will he clothe you? What little faith you have! Do not worry and say: What are we going to eat? What are we going to drink? Or: what shall we wear? The pagans busy themselves with such things; but your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. Set your heart first on the kingdom and justice of God and all these things will also be given to you. Do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own».

The Application

We all, each and every one of us, look for peaceful and pleasant moments, so that our life is filled with joy and we are granted a good reward for our works. For this, we discern the best means available and make the appropriate decisions. Jesus comes to accompany us in these decisions and to help us make a good choice.

He tells us that we have a good and generous Father. So, trusting in this God, we are asked to listen to his Word and put it into practice.   Since we are His children, we should not worry about our needs tomorrow, because He tells us "tomorrow will take care of itself; to each day its own trouble". That doesn’t mean that we refuse to fulfill our dialy duties and wait for God to act in our place.

Therefore, while accomplishing our daily responsibilities,  let us nourish our faith and work for the Kingdom of God. Let's put God first and use the means God gives us, including money, in the service of accomplishing God's will. By doing this, we make God as our Master et learn to use the materials, including intellectual gifts that God gives us, at His service.

Action of the day : Give attention to your priorities.

«Set your heart first on the kingdom and justice of God and all these things will also be given to you»

Fr. Jacques PHILIPPE

(Cordes sur Ciel, France)

Today, the Gospel clearly speaks of living the "present moment": not to keep thinking about yesterday, but abandon yourself to God and His mercy. Not to torture about tomorrow, but to entrust it all to His Providence. Saint Therese of the Child Jesus said: «the spirit of self-abandonment is my sole guide – I have no other compass!».

Preoccupation has never solved any problem. What solves problems is self-assurance, faith. Jesus says «If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will He not much more clothe you – you of little faith?» (Mt 6:30).

Life per-se is not too problematic; it is man who is deficient in faith... Existence is not always easy. At times it can be stressful; we frequently feel injured and shocked by what is happening in our life or in that of others. But let us face it with faith and let us try to live, day by day, by trusting God will fulfill His promises. Faith will lead us to salvation.

«Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.» (Mt 6:34). What does that mean? Try, today, to live equitably, according to the logic of the Kingdom, with trust, simplicity, seeking God, with reckless abandon. And God will take care of the rest...

Day by day. It is very important. What so often wear us down are all these comebacks to the past and our fear of the future; whereas, mysteriously, when we just live in the present moment we find strength. What I have to live by today, I have God’s grace to live it. If tomorrow I must cope with more difficult situations, God will increase His grace. God's grace is given every moment, day by day. To live the present moment means to accept weakness: to give up redoing the past or to dominate the future, to be contented by the present.