Letting God!

Saturday, June 22, 2024

2 Chr 24:17-25; Mt 6:24-34

Today’s Gospel cautions us against the temptation to worry because God is the master of our lives. 

Jesus explains that a worried heart reveals a lack of trust in God. 

Using examples like birds and lilies from nature, Jesus shows how even not having the basic necessities of life like food and clothes cannot make us worry. 

Jesus highlights that the temptation to worry is unchristian.

Because they do not believe in God, who cares for them, pagans worry about the essentials of life. 

But Christians who have God as their caring Father cannot worry as if we do not have one. 

I came across an interesting anecdote in this regard. 

One of Oliver Cromwell’s officers was a habitual worrier. He would often be found pacing the floor of his room anxiously, pondering over several matters at a time. The gravity of the situation did not matter; even a minor issue could trigger anxiety in him. His faithful servant was a pious man, who wished to help his anxious and stressed master. He asked his master, ‘Is it not true that the Lord ran this world long before you came into it?’ ‘Sure, He did,’ replied the master instantly. ‘You believe that He will run it after you have left, don’t you?’ asked now the assistant. Again, the officer nodded in agreement, unsure of where this conversation was leading. ‘Then why don’t you stop worrying and let Him run it while you are in it?’ asked the servant.

For Jesus, the goodness of God should take away our worries, fears, and anxieties. 

When the Good Shepherd is the Master of our lives, why should we worry at all? 

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar