DO NO WORRY ABOUT TOMORROW

Mt6:24-34

We live in the society is based on acquisition of things, especially wealth. And we frequently abandon Christian principals in pursuit of money. We act as if wealth is the remedy to our worry. We all tend to believe that when we have more money, we would have less to worry about. We are concerned about having more and more; which is a good thing to plan ahead and secure the future. But in today’s gospel Jesus teaches us not to worry about material things. What does this mean? Jesus is trying to show us that worry is useless for us Christians.

In the gospel story Jesus is telling us that worry does not solve our problems. He asks: "Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to his or her life span?" He also teaches us how to overcome worry. We overcome worry by living in the present moment, focusing on what we need to do today. For Jesus, we will figure out how to cross tomorrow's bridge when we get there. He teaches us to focus on the present and not on the future.

But it is till tricky. Is Jesus teaching us to live a life without plans or not to make provisions for the future? Is he telling us to not secure our future by working hard now? No. He is rather teaching us the basic truth of faith. As the psalmist says: "Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain". Hence our plans for our life, security and welfare in the future must start with our total submission to God.

There is a story of a father and his 5 years old daughter as they jumped through the window to escape fire. After the father jumped, was calling his daughter to jump too, but the daughter unable to see her father because of the night and the smoke, cried: I can’t see you Daddy. And the father called her: But I can see you my darling, jump. The little girl jumped, not because she could see her father, but because she trusted him.

From this gospel, Jesus tells us that worry is sign of lack of trust. Worry is blindness to God’s generosity; worry is blindness to God’s love. We are called to have faith that God who loves us will provide for us. If God cares and provides for lower creatures like the grass of the field and the birds of the air, how much more will He care for us who are made in His own image and likeness? Therefore, Jesus teaches us to replace our many concerns with one over-riding concern: "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. God who gave us life knows that life needs to be sustained. God who gave us bodies knows that the body needs to be clothed and fed. The best way to assure that the gifts will keep coming is to develop a good relationship with the giver. This is the only sure prescription to overcome worry in our lives. So the question we should ask ourselves is: Do my priorities correspond to the will of God?