Reflection for June 20, Saturday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time; Matthew 6:24-34

Gospel: 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? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin.

But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour 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 you besides. Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil.”

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Reflection:

What does Jesus mean when He said that we need not worry for God will provide? Is He telling us to simply lie down and we don’t do anything? Of course not! Yes Jesus is telling us in the gospel that we should learn to trust in God. But Jesus did not tell us to be lazy and just open our mouths because food will simply fall down from heaven.

What we need to do is we have to have faith and trust in Jesus. Yet we also have to move and do something and in the process expect the good Lord to bless our efforts. So its trusting Jesus and we reinforce our trust by our action and then we leave it up all to the graciousness of the good Lord.

What makes a meaningful life in this world? It’s a life focused first on God not a life focused first on this world. When we fix first our attention on God we are properly guided as we go on and live our lives in this world. We are not easily tempted to do wrong for the very reason that God is our priority.

If God is at the front seat we have nothing to worry for we will be able to handle whatever trials that may come our way. We will certainly survive it splendidly for the very reason that Jesus occupies the front seat of our lives.

Whom do you seek first in your life right now? – Marino J. Dasmarinas