Word to the Wise
Sunday, February 27, 2011 - 8th Sunday in Ordinary Time - A
[Isa 49:14-15; 1 Cor 4:1-5; Matt 6:24-34]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 lifespan?
When I was a college student back in the 1960's, there was a character in a national magazine (MAD Magazine) named Alfred E. Neumann. A poster of this character was popular which showed him with a goofy smile on his face and the caption: "What me? Worry?" His face and that caption have stayed with me over the years because I know that I tend to worry a bit too easily for comfort. The Lord's admonition about worrying over life's necessities is a big challenge. I admit that food and clothing and shelter are not really a big worry. I worry more about the next parish mission or retreat and doing a good job of it. I worry if the next rectory may not have internet access and how I will get this preaching done without it! I worry from time to time about health matters, although my health is generally pretty good. None of this matches the worries that parents have about their children or the mortgage or finding work. None of this matches the poor who do not have food or shelter and must find a way to survive. In short, although my "worries" are real enough, they shame me when I realize how great the worries of others are.
Trusting in God's providential care is not easy. Jesus is not telling us just to sit still and everything will just fall into our laps! St. Augustine, I believe, is quoted as saying, "Pray as if everything depends on God! Work as if everything depends on you!" Recent studies of college students are showing high levels of anxiety about life and the future. The anxiety arises from the incredibly fast pace of life with all the technological requirements to survive economically, pay off a large college loan, and cope on a daily basis with the ordinary demands. The wisdom of Jesus' teaching may be needed more than ever. We may not be able to add a moment to our lives by worrying, but I think we can definitely shorten our lives by it. Perhaps it's time to make a greater push for the contemplative offer of Jesus. AMEN
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