HOMILIES

Dear Audience,
For better understanding of the spiritual message behind this homily I kindly remind you to first read and contemplate the biblical texts before reading or listening to my preaching - a human reflection on the Word of God!

Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year A)

Mar 2, 2014

3069

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First Reading

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (49:14-15)

Zion said, "The Lord has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me." Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalms of David (62:2-3, 6-7, 8-9)

(R) Rest in God alone, my soul.

Only in God is my soul at rest; from Him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be disturbed at all. (R)

Only in God be at rest, my soul, for from Him comes my hope. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be disturbed. (R)

With God is my safety and my glory, He is the rock of my strength; my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, O my people! Pour out your hearts before Him. (R)

Second Reading

A reading from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians (4:1-5)

Brothers and sisters: Thus should one regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Now it is of course required of stewards that they be found trustworthy. It does not concern me in the least that I be judged by you or any human tribunal; I do not even pass judgment on myself; I am not conscious of anything against me, but I do not thereby stand acquitted; the one who judges me is the Lord. Therefore do not make any judgment before the appointed time, until the Lord comes, for he will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will manifest the motives of our hearts, and then everyone will receive praise from God.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Gospel

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (6:24-34)

Jesus said to his disciples: "No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they? Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span? Why are you anxious about clothes? Lean from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin. But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them. If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith? So do not worry and say, "What are we to eat?" or "What are we to drink?" or "What are we to wear?" All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given your besides. Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil."

(P) The Gospel of the Lord.
(R) Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily

One day two friends happen to see each other after two years. One asks the other, "How come you have lost so much of your hair?" "Because of worry", the friend replies. "Worry? What do you worry about?" he asks. "Oh! I worry about losing hair", the friend says.

Friends, these days we don't have to look too hard to find examples of worries all around us. We worry about a lot of things in our lives. We can come up with a whole list of our own of the things we worry about every day. Many people wake up worrying virtually every morning. What is worry? Worry is an anxious way of thinking about oneself and the world. It involves thinking about possible future problems, concerns, or outcomes. Some of the more common worries include family, relationships, jobs, school, health, finances and security to name but a few. Normal worries usually do not affect much of our daily life. But some worries can have a negative effect on our health. It can make us tired, stressed out and it can even lead us to depression and suicide.

If you are one of those living with excessive and irrational anxiety and worries, then today's gospel is precisely for you. Jesus speaks these words to help you overcome whatever is making you anxious today. Besides teaching and working miracles, one of the greatest things about Jesus is that he wants us to be joyful and peaceful and not worried and anxious.

At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus sets out with his core teaching in the Sermon on the Mount. He begins his sermon promising divine favors to those who love and obey God's commandments. Then he uses the simple images of salt and light to teach us of the twofold purposes of being a Christian - to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. And then he quotes several laws from the scriptures, and demands us to go beyond the traditional, ritualistic and legalistic righteousness and do whatever is just, and right, and holy, and good, with a purified heart. Finally, he calls us to be perfect or complete or full grown or mature in our love for others and even for our enemies just like God is to all. On the whole, in the first chapter of the Sermon on the Mount (Chapter 5) Jesus expounds one by one the precepts of the Law and wants us to be spiritually mature in the faith.

In the second chapter (Chapter 6) of the Sermon on the Mount, the last part of which we hear today, Jesus speaks about alms giving, fasting, prayer, material possessions and so on. The text begins with Jesus saying, "No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." "Mammon" is an Aramaic word, meaning wealth or worldly riches. However the word carries a very negative connotation. "Mammon" is personified as a deity or god. In other words, excessive wealth or materialism is a false god which makes empty promises. So Jesus is saying that we cannot serve God and money at the same time. It is in the context of excessive materialism or greed for worldly possessions that Jesus addresses the real matter at hand - "worry". He says, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or what you will wear."

Friends, let us remember that Jesus is talking to a crowd which is made up of, for the most part, poor people such as fishermen, farmers, merchants, beggars, prostitutes, widows, cripples and so on. Among the crowd are also his disciples and followers who have just left their fishing nets and boats to follow him. In some ways, this is an incredibly hard piece of advice to follow. It almost feels as if Jesus is saying, "Don't worry, be happy" to the most vulnerable and the poorest in the society. But Jesus gives seven reasons against worry:

Life is more than food. In other words, life is far more important than material things. Seeking knowledge and truth about God is the key to life.
God provides for the lesser creatures - the birds of the air - and so He will certainly also provide for us, who are "much more valuable" to Him. However, this does not mean we do not need to work for our sustenance. Like the birds who search for their food, God provides us with talents and abilities to work for our food.
Worry accomplishes very little. Our worrying will not lengthen our lives.
God who clothes lilies and flowers with splendor greater than Solomon's will also clothe us who are more valuable in the sight of God.
Such a care for wealth is fit only for people who have no faith and not for Christians.
God knows all things and He, in His providence, will provide sustenance to those who seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.
Each day has enough trouble of its own. Thus, to anticipate future troubles by worrying about them today is to double them.

Friends, at the heart of Jesus' message there is something truly life-changing. Jesus tells us that each individual is very precious and important to God because He loves us. In Greek the word which is used for worry is "merimnan" which means to worry anxiously. So, Jesus does not advocate a thoughtless or reckless life but forbids worries and fears which take away all the joy and peace of life. Instead what Jesus is saying is, "Do not worry, be content and trusting."

If the command not to worry was appropriate to the people of Jesus' time, it is even more so now. Because, we know in our lives today, we even go beyond what Jesus mentions as worries. Today we worry about things we don't even need and things outside of our control. Jesus says to both those who seem to have enough possessions and less suffering and those who feel they have not enough possessions and have more suffering to trust in God's love. God's love means that He will bless those who believe in Him and are obedient to Him by following His commands, and those who have the ability to face the unacceptable and even the horrifying, with quiet confidence because we are not left alone to face hardships. Therefore, friends, be content with what you have and be grateful that you do not have as many worries as others have, and be trusting that God who delivered you from previous hardships will also help you overcome any future problems. Let us be guided by the thought of John Piper, a great theologian, who says, "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him".

(P) Amen.

God Bless You!

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