Trusting God

8th Sunday in Ordinary Time

March 2, 2014

Mt 6:24-34

Are our lives governed by the pursuit of material wealth that God has been relegated to the periphery? Are we enslaved by money or our possessions? Are our hearts divided? Today, Jesus reminds us, “You cannot serve God and mammon.”

We work hard for a living to have the basic necessities and enjoy the comforts of life. We want to secure our future so we work even harder to accumulate wealth. Basically, there’s nothing wrong with this but the danger lies when the pursuit of wealth becomes an end in itself or when we have the false illusion that our wealth will give us security.

Jesus does not prohibit that we work hard and plan for the future for these are legitimate concerns and it would be fatalistic not to do so. Rather he exhorts us not to “worry,” about the future for just as God takes care of nature God will provide for us for he loves us and cares for us. We need to trust in his providence. In the gospel, Jesus emphasized this point that not even the most expensive garments of Solomon can compare with God’s providence in creation.

Our worrying reveals that we have not grown to trust God completely. Moreover, it focuses on us rather than on God. We may believe that God is good, but do we believe that God is good to us? These are two different things. Believing that God is good to us pushes us to trust him. The more we exercise our trust in him in the situations of daily life, the deeper our trust becomes.

Personally, the Gospel today reminded me of the trials in my life that I almost gave up. It was not easy to live alone with no one to hang on and trust. I almost lost my faith. But the Lord is indeed merciful and compassionate as I was inspired by the Holy Spirit to trek a better path in life.

Our life maybe on a roller coaster ride, but God never leaves us alone. He rides with us until the very end. This also brings me back to the “Footprints in the Sand” story where a man, noticing only one set of footprints left in the sand, complains to the Lord that he has left him alone in his difficult times, only to realize that those footprints were the Lord’s who carried him.

The future is uncertain so what better way to secure ourselves than surrendering to God who holds the future. Let us depend on him for our needs. He alone is our security.

- Adapted from the reflections of Sem. JC Carinugan

with DJ Garcia

Prayer

Lord, You know our concerns. As we place our trust in you, help us not to be anxious with the demands of life. Amen.

Main source: eudistsphilippines.com...