In today’s gospel (Matthew 6:24-34) Jesus tells us not to worry about tomorrow-but just trust in God’s daily providence. Can a Christian life be that simple?
There are so many ways in which God reveals himself to us! He leaves his fingerprints for us to see everywhere in creation. We struggle for words to describe God’s characteristics. His beauty is overwhelmingly displayed in a gorgeous sunset; his power is manifested in the rolling tides and the atmospheric changes; his infinite creativeness is revealed in the microscopic details of something as simple as a leaf from a tree; his desire that we become one in Him is reflected in such examples as the vine and its branches, in fact, we discover the magnificence of God and the abundance of His love in the smallest of his creative wonders.
Today’s gospel (Matthew 6:24-34) shows us in a very gentle way how to live (something easy for us to grasp). We can take a lesson from the birds and the grass and the lilies of the field. All they do is fulfil their call: they are fully what they are- just by “being”! You and I are called in the same way to learn from their behaviour: we too are simply called to “be,” to trust in God’s providence. When we have learnt this lesson, we’re in a “right relationship” with God, and he’ll indeed provide for our needs.
The temptation, of course, is to trust in a different master, the master called wealth. Remember that the three temptations of Jesus himself in the desert were focused on power, status and possessions. One word describes those temptations: mammon. Jesus puts before us a choice: choose mammon, or choose Jesus. One is the way of God; the other is the way of the evil one.
If we’re in right relationship with God, we become “righteous” and assured of the providence of God. If we’re willing to become like a little child, dependent on our parent for all our needs, then my friends, Christ will recognise us by what we’ve done and judge us for what we haven’t done to his beloved poor. Thus, Christ’s call to perfection is simply a call to holiness, something within the reach of each one of us. (See CCC #1942 and CCC #305.)
There are so many ways in which God reveals himself to us! He leaves his fingerprints for us to see everywhere in creation. We struggle for words to describe God’s characteristics. His beauty is overwhelmingly displayed in a gorgeous sunset; his power is manifested in the rolling tides and the atmospheric changes; his infinite creativeness is revealed in the microscopic details of something as simple as a leaf from a tree; his desire that we become one in Him is reflected in such examples as the vine and its branches, in fact, we discover the magnificence of God and the abundance of His love in the smallest of his creative wonders.
Today’s gospel (Matthew 6:24-34) shows us in a very gentle way how to live (something easy for us to grasp). We can take a lesson from the birds and the grass and the lilies of the field. All they do is fulfil their call: they are fully what they are- just by “being”! You and I are called in the same way to learn from their behaviour: we too are simply called to “be,” to trust in God’s providence. When we have learnt this lesson, we’re in a “right relationship” with God, and he’ll indeed provide for our needs.
The temptation, of course, is to trust in a different master, the master called wealth. Remember that the three temptations of Jesus himself in the desert were focused on power, status and possessions. One word describes those temptations: mammon. Jesus puts before us a choice: choose mammon, or choose Jesus. One is the way of God; the other is the way of the evil one.
If we’re in right relationship with God, we become “righteous” and assured of the providence of God. If we’re willing to become like a little child, dependent on our parent for all our needs, then my friends, Christ will recognise us by what we’ve done and judge us for what we haven’t done to his beloved poor. Thus, Christ’s call to perfection is simply a call to holiness, something within the reach of each one of us. (See CCC #1942 and CCC #305.)
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