Gospel Mt 6:24-34
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.”
Homily
Some time ago, the students of a sixth form class in one of our prestige schools were asked about their plans for the immediate and long term future. As we can all imagine, the entire class’ future was university in the short term and then a successful professional career in the long term. The successful professional career included of course, lots of money and all the comforts that money could buy. What that successful professional career did not consciously include was a dedication to the poor and indigent of our land. As I thought about that class and their goals in life, I began to understand a little better where our treasure truly lies. I remember as a boy being told over and over that if I wanted to be successful I had to get that piece of paper, the degree which would open up for me doors closed to others and which would ensure the acquisition of those things which are the signs that one has made it in life. There was no thought of those things which are signs that one is on the way to the Kingdom of God.
As I meditated on the Gospel this week, it suddenly struck me that most of us put our priorities in those things which ensure a secure future here on earth. When that is taken to the extreme, we have the leaking of exam papers, falsification of degrees, kickbacks in business transactions and similar occurrences. It is the having of mistaken priorities which makes us go lower each year on the corruption index. It is with good reason that the gospel reminds us; “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”
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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?”
The problem for all of us is our lack of faith. We do not really believe that God will take care of us, that we are more important to God than the birds of the air and the lilies of the fields so we construct priorities which do not have God at the centre. Yet alook at the history of our church will show us that the great heroes of our faith, lived not pursuing wealth, but trying to ensure that all with whom they came into contact lived truly human lives. Yes, the great saints all sought money and very often great sums of money passed through their hands, but these great sums of money all went to ensure that the poor and the indigent, the sick and the suffering all had the wherewithal to live truly human lives. More than that, the money which they received was almost never used on themselves. More often than not, these saints did not know where the next penny was coming from but they trusted in the God who looks after the birds of the air and the lilies of the fields.
The gospel reminds us that our first loyalty, our first concern as Christians and as disciples of Jesus must be the Kingdom and its righteousness. It was this concern for the kingdom and its righteousness which motivated those heroes of our faith whom we all venerate but so few imitate. It is only if we seek the kingdom and its righteousness, that the social ills which plague our country will disappear.
The Gospel therefore questions us this weekend. Where does God’s kingdom and its righteousness place on our scale of values? Unless for the vast majority of us, it is first on the list, we can never hope to have a country free of the corruption which engulfs us all.
Prayer
All powerful and ever-loving God, we often seek happiness in the wrong places. A consumerist world is always telling us that we need possessions to be happy. Help us to understand dear Lord, that it is only adherence to your will and the active concern for your kingdom which bring happiness. We ask this through Jesus, your Son and Mary, our Mother. Amen
