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Gospel Reading for June 22, 2024 – Matthew 6: 24-34
PURE JOY AND PEACE
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 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 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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Is Jesus saying to us, “Que Sera Sera, whatever will be, will be”? Of course not. All of us are given capabilities to do some kind of work to earn a living. Of course, we need to earn a living so our needs to remain or keep our family alive can be sustained. What Jesus is telling us is the WORRYING. When we worry about our life, we will always be anxious to make money, to amass wealth so we may secure our future life. There are even those of us who amass wealth for a family generation that is yet to come! When we worry, it will not be easy to part with our money, hence, there will be no chance for CHARITY. There will be NO SPACE for God as God and money cannot occupy the same space. God is in the eternal realm, while money is in the temporal realm.
As Jesus says, “Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself.” Let us live life knowing we don’t know when we are to be recalled from this earth. We will experience PURE JOY AND PEACE in the midst of adversity, knowing we are living life to the fullest as our Heavenly Creator wishes us to!
Let us ponder on this song, NEVER TO WORRY –
Sometimes I hear his voice
calling my name out loud,
telling me not to fear and be brave
because he won’t leave my side.
Look at the birds on air,
they never fret just fly;
Never to worry, God in His glory,
takes care of humankind.
My soul will always thirst for you,
O Lord, for you are my God!
How can I live without your love
when you are the source of life and love?
And when I’m down and out,
burdened with worldly cares,
I then remember, He always gives me
His tender loving care.
Look at the birds on air,
they never fret just fly;
Never to worry, God in His glory,
takes care of humankind.
Never to worry, God in His glory,
takes care of humankind!
