A man just got married and was returning home with his wife. They were crossing a lake in a boat, when suddenly a great storm arose. The man was a warrior, but the woman became very much afraid because it seemed almost hopeless: The boat was small and the storm was really huge, and any moment they were going to be drowned. But the man sat silently, calm and quiet, as if nothing was happening.
The woman was trembling and she said, “Are you not afraid ?”. This may be our last moment of life! It doesn’t seem that we will be able to reach the other shore. Only some miracle can save us; otherwise death is certain. Are you not afraid? Are you mad or something? Are you a stone or something? The man laughed and took the sword out of its sheath.
The woman was even more puzzled: What he was doing? Then he brought the naked sword close to the woman’s neck, so close that just a small gap was there, it was almost touching her neck.
He said, "Are you afraid ?"
She started to laugh and said, "Why should I be afraid ?,If the sword is in your hands, why should I be afraid? I know you love me."
He put the sword back and said, "This is my answer. I know God Loves me, and the storm is in His hands SO WHATSOEVER IS GOING TO HAPPEN IS GOING TO BE GOOD. If we survive, good; if we don’t survive, good, because everything is in His hands and He cannot do anything wrong".
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1st reading: Isaiah 49:14-15
Psalm: 62: 2-3, 6-7, 8-9
2nd reading: 1Cor. 4:1-5
Gospel: Matthew 6:24-34
As human beings, we have a lot to think and worry about. We always think or worry about "What's next?". To many this question occupies their whole day, while some for months and others for years. Some are left with no choice but to keep worrying. some even die without achieving a dime out of their worries.
The first reading of today Isaiah 49:14-15 reminds us of the promise God made to us of his ever caring and merciful heart "...I will never forget you!". What an encouraging and soft feeling word from God! It goes a long way to make us feel at home at all times around Him, knowing that we are always in His heart. Here God uses the image of a mother : "does a mother forget her baby at the breast, or fail to cherish the son of her womb?..." the pride of a mother is her child, Mothers hardly give up their children remembering what they went through to bring them into the world. One of the most enduring part of womanhood is child birth and feeding. Women go through a lot to conceive and bear children yet some have abandoned theirs for reasons that may or may not be out of their control. "Yet even if these forget, I will 'never' forget you". We know the rate of abandonment of children today in our world. According to some statistics, there are an estimated 400 million abandoned children around the world today. If this statistics is true which I have no doubt it is, then the reading of today needs to reach each and everyone of them to give them hope. How these children survive ofcourse must be beyond our understanding but only in God is our soul at rest.
The Gospel (Matthew 6:24-34) comes with one of the great empowering words in the scriptures thus:
"think of the flowers growing in the fields; they never have to work or spin;.... Now if that is how God clothes the grass in the field which is there today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, will he not much more look after you, ... so do not worry; do not say, 'what are we to eat? what are we to drink? how are we to be clothed?.... Your heavenly Father knows you need them all. Set your hearts on his kingdom first, and on his righteousness, and all these other things will be given to you as well."
Dear friends, troubles and temptations must come but our attitude towards them either makes them more difficult or easy to surpass. When we spend time and energy worrying about 'what next' then we make God a second chance. God however wants us to keep him always close to our minds and allow him to do our worries for through Him all things are possible. Unlike the Trump - 'America first' slogan, we are called to place God above everything else. He holds the key to our past, present and our future. to Him we owe our life and activities. in Him we live, we move and have our being. Lastly, God cannot say what he cannot do, therefore, we need not worry but trust in Him.
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