Readings: I - 2Cor. 12:1-10
II - Mt. 6: 24-34
DO NOT WORRY
The Gospel passage comes as an invitation to trust in the Providence of God and strive for God’s Kingdom and righteousness. God’s righteousness in His Kingdom is that everyone gets everything. The wealth of the world is not the privilege of the few but a gift to everyone. As the children of the Father, no one can deprive anyone from sharing the wealth of the world. Hence the Gospel passage is an invitation to both the rich and the poor alike.
The rich are worried about their wealth. They accumulate wealth for various reasons viz. security, safety, status, prestige and power without giving a second thought about God and His Providence. To the rich it is an invitation to sharing, giving, empowering and caring placing all their trust in the Father who provides. The poor are marginalised and deprived even of basic necessities. They worry about basic necessities forgetting that there is a Father above and His Providence. To the poor it is an invitation to hope, have courage and trust in the Father who cares. When both accept the invitation there is fraternity, reciprocity and equality. And this is Kingdom of God where only God’s righteousness reign.
Giving up is a challenge. Let us dare to take it up for we have saints who have walked the way. St. Thomas Becket, son of a wealthy commoner, gave away all his power, position and riches and committed himself to work for the Church especially in helping the poor. St. Katherine Drexel became a nun, gave away all her inheritance to start a congregation that would work for the poor blacks and the American Indians. St. Francis of Assisi, son of a rich cloth merchant, abandoned a life of luxury for a life devoted to Christ in helping the lepers and the poor. They were able to do so because they realised that all are children for one Father in Heaven. As Jesus exhorts, let us strive for this and as he had promised the rest will fall in line.
May we in the silence of our heart constantly keep praying as Jesus taught us, “Your Kingdom come Lord”
