Homily for Sunday 14 June 2015--Third Sunday after Pentecost: "Don't Worry!"

Don’t Worry

Homily for Third Sunday after Pentecost (14 June 2015, 17 June 2007)

Romans 5:1-10…………….Matthew 6:22-33

 

In today’s reading from the Gospel of St Matthew, Jesus says that we can’t serve two masters.  We can’t serve God and money.  If we are devoted to money, we will neglect God.  And if we neglect God, we are giving our lives to the Evil One.

Jesus also says that since we cannot serve two masters we should not worry about food or drink or clothing—in other words, we should not worry about all the details of everyday life.

The Lord knows us well.  He knows that we do worry about food.  Not just “Is there enough to feed my family and to keep them healthy?” but also “Is there enough so that my guests won’t think that I’m cheap?” and “Is it organic?” “Does it have trans fats?” “How much cholesterol is in it?” and so on.

And we worry about what to drink—whole milk or low-fat or non-fat?  The right brand of liquor—Johnny Walker Red or Johnny Walker Black, or Blue or Green or whatever?  We worry about getting our favorite Starbucks coffee drink.  We even worry about water—chlorinated?  Filtered?  Purified?  Bottled, imported, “smart”?

And we worry about clothes, and cars, and granite counter-tops.  We worry about shoes and schools and sports scores.  We even worry about worrying . . .

And what does Jesus say about all this?  He says, “Don’t worry.  God will take care of what you need—as long as you seek first the Kingdom of God.”

Great!  That’s one more thing to worry about.

Actually, it’s not one more thing; it’s the only thing:  “Seek first the Kingdom of God and God’s righteousness, and all these other things will be given to you as well.”

But what does Jesus mean by this?  What is the Kingdom of God and how can I seek it?

The Kingdom of God exists wherever God’s will is known and accepted and fulfilled.  The Kingdom of God exists perfectly in heaven, where the souls of the righteous and the angels are in perfect relationship with God, living in God’s glory and love and mercy and justice and peace.

We also pray that the Kingdom of God may be established on earth, every time we say the Lord’s Prayer:  “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

We seek the Kingdom individually—each person in his/her own life—and also as a community, as the people of God in the Church.  To do this, we need to learn and understand God’s will, God’s love, God’s mercy, God’s justice.

We have to study and learn the teachings of the Christian Church.  We have to read the Holy Bible.  We have to participate fully in the life of the Church—praying, singing, going to confession, receiving the Body and Blood of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ.

We can’t just say, “I went to Catholic school” or “I went to church with my mother” or “I know how we always did things back home.”  We have to make a conscious effort to find out and to understand and to live as Christians—here and now, all the time, every day, in every place and every part of our lives.

We must strive to make the Kingdom of God real in our homes, in the schools, in our workplaces, in the supermarket and the doctor’s office, even on the freeway (maybe especially on the freeway).  When we try to bring the love and mercy and peace and justice of God to every situation and every person, we will be doing what God asks us to do, and we won’t have to worry about anything else.

So let us seek first the Kingdom of God and God’s righteousness, and give thanks and praise and glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and ever and unto the ages of ages.  Amen.