Matthew 6:25-34 -- “Do Not Worry” Prayer “...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 clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? Why worry about clothes?...Do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’...Your heavenly Father knows you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.” _____________________________________________ This teaches that the Kingdom of Heaven is not something for the future. It is NOW. We don't wait until death. It is not a case of souls going to heaven after we die. We are told to seek the kingdom NOW in the present. We are to waste no time seeking the kingdom--it comes before food, before our next meal. But these are surprising words since the Bible begins with the admonishment that humans must earn bread by the sweat of the brow--in other words, that we must work hard so we can provide for our daily needs. We must plan ahead. Nothing will come easily, according to Genesis. Jesus says the opposite. (In Mark's gospel, Jesus is shocked because his disciples don't understand much, but I have sympathy for the disciples.) Putting into practice what Jesus says here is difficult. We put away money for the future, maybe planning for our retirement. We go to supermarkets with lists of all we need for meals during the coming week. We normally train young people to look ahead, telling them, "Don't take things for granted." We want them to understand that they will have to work for what they desire. We urge young ones to think about the future, study hard, plan for college, expect to earn an income later in life. All of this stems from our hopes that young ones will later be able to provide for themselves and be able to start their own families. Jesus contradicts what we teach our kids, saying, "Don't worry about the future." Maybe we can say it is healthy but we may plan for the future but must not "worry" about it. Maybe the key here is "worry"? Does the word "worry" suggest undue anxiety? No, that cannot be correct. Jesus is talking about ordinary things, and if we don't know where our future meals will come from, we have every right to worry! Jesus preaches the opposite of what most parents say. Is it a way of getting our attention? Well, he has my attention--now, does he really mean what he is saying? Is God really provide if I don't provide for myself? I wish someone had asked, "Jesus, why do some people die of starvation if God provides as you say?" Maybe Jesus is not speaking to a general audience. Are these words only for his 12 disciples? They gave up their livelihoods to be with Jesus. Maybe they needed this reassurance. Catholic high school students wear uniforms, so how seriously are they to regard Jesus' advice to not worry about clothes?
