Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Times – Cycle A
Reflecting on Matthew 6: 24-34
You know, tomorrow really does have a way of taking care of itself. Weeping endures for the night, but in the morning comes a certain, unnameable peace. Today is the tomorrow we worried about yesterday, and it’s just almost never as bad as we pictured.
They neither toil nor spin
But that doesn’t stop us from worrying the problem to death. If we keep circling in on it, touching its tender corners, re-thinking our conversations, rewinding our what-ifs, maybe we’ll find a crack large enough for us to slip our hand through and re-shift the orbit of the earth and get us back to yesterday, before we found the lump, before we bought the expensive house with the balloon payments, before we hit the gas instead of the brakes, before we canceled the insurance policy.
Whew. Just writing down a few things to worry about makes me start worrying all over again. But then I hear those comforting words of today’s Responsorial Psalm (62): Only in God be at rest my soul. God is my stronghold, my safety. I shall not be disturbed at all.
But wait. Not so fast. Can God be trusted? God’s grace has been sufficient and even abundant in the past, but is that enough to take to the Bank of Tomorrow? Maybe it’s like using a muscle. The more we trust today, the stronger and more enduring is our ability to trust tomorrow.
So get out there and consider those lilies. Or, better yet, winter wheat. Or the silent snow. Or your own buttoned-up heart. There is a wisdom out there, whispering in the February chill. Trust in me, oh my people.
In what ways does your faith build on past experience?
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I have come to light a fire on the earth; how I wish it were already burning (Lk.12:49).
How do we know that worrying won’t extend our life?
Oh, this is a trouble spot for me. I worry a lot. I know that I should not. I work to trust more completely in God. The panic attacks come though, and they keep me awake. But … I won’t give up. I pray for the strength to trust, I pray for the faith to trust. I pray that I will truly know that it will all work according to God’s will, even if that means I will have to go through some difficult times.
I lean on Hebrews 11 when it comes to discernment/discussion about faith, especially verse 1 that indicates that “…faith is the evidence of things not seen” – – which is the antithesis of blind faith. Then for the next 39 verses, the proofs are hammered into our heads. – – Cris
I constantly remind myself that worrying is a sin….it puts energy into something and takes away energy, and praise, from God! I have to remind myself from time to time to not worry, or have faith in God. But, the best reminder is to think of what has God done for me!
Wow! That’s the first time I’ve ever heard that worrying is a sin.
On Sunday, Deacon Kevin gave a wonderful homily on trust.As usual,when you desperately need to hear something, it is as if you’d never heard it before.
My Mama always said, about everything, “Si Dios nos da licensia”, or if God wills it. I pray always to have that kind of faith and trust, to just rest in God.
Today I am trusting. Tomorrow — “si Dios me da licensia”
“My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?” I’ve said those words more than a few times in my life! It might have been when I was a child and didn’t get a very good birthday present or as a teenager when a cute guy didn’t want to date me. It could have been when my daughter was diagnosed with a heart problem that needed surgery or my favorite uncle was diagnosed with cancer. It could have been when my husband walked away from our marriage after 33 years. It might be now when I contemplate how I deal with the disease of alcoholism in a loved one. Whatever the turmoils (and sometimes they are many), I too often forget to trust in God that he will supply me with the path to take. (I am an EXTREMELY SLOW STUDY!!!) I don’t know why…I survived the birthday present and the heart surgery and even the divorce. I know today, however, that these victories weren’t just MY victories but truly God’s! It was God that opened my heart to tomorrow. It was God that supplied the strength and the wisdom to persevere and with those tools…faith continues to grow! Thank you God for all the lessons! I’ll keep studying! See you tomorrow…