Reading 1 2 Cor 12:1-10
Brothers and sisters:
I must boast; not that it is profitable,
but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord.
I know a man in Christ who, fourteen years ago
(whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows),
was caught up to the third heaven.
And I know that this man
(whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows)
was caught up into Paradise and heard ineffable things,
which no one may utter.
About this man I will boast,
but about myself I will not boast, except about my weaknesses.
Although if I should wish to boast, I would not be foolish,
for I would be telling the truth.
But I refrain, so that no one may think more of me
than what he sees in me or hears from me
because of the abundance of the revelations.
Therefore, that I might not become too elated,
a thorn in the flesh was given to me, an angel of Satan,
to beat me, to keep me from being too elated.
Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me,
but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you,
for power is made perfect in weakness.”
I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses,
in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me.
Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults,
hardships, persecutions, and constraints,
for the sake of Christ;
for when I am weak, then I am strong.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 34:8-9, 10-11, 12-13
- (9a) Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
Taste and see how good the LORD is;
blessed the man who takes refuge in him.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Fear the LORD, you his holy ones,
for nought is lacking to those who fear him.
The great grow poor and hungry;
but those who seek the LORD want for no good thing.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Come, children, hear me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
Which of you desires life,
and takes delight in prosperous days?
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
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.”
I remember sometime ago when I went for a retreat somewhere and someone told me “Fr, I am suffering from anxiety,” I really didn’t understand the meaning. It was not clear to me how someone could suffer from anxiety. Worse still, when the person said “I am on drugs,” I was like “anxiety drugs? I haven’t heard that all my life.”
However, over time and perhaps with my ministry in this country, it became clear to me that a good number of people are suffering from an anxiety disorder. That is, a disproportionate feeling of fear and worry about something, this feeling often affects the person’s normal life and routine. It can even manifest itself in physical symptoms like sweating, panic, dread, loss of appetite, difficulty in breathing, dizziness, fainting, stomach ache etc. In some cases, anxiety leads to depression.
The readings of today can be of great help to us when we are anxious about anything or we are beginning to suspect anxiety disorder.
The Gospel reminds us that we have a good and loving Father whose care for us is great and who looks after us with the greatest love. Whatever he allows in our lives is for our good.
For instance, in today’s first reading, God allowed “a thorn in the flesh” of Paul, most interpreters call this a particular sickness. Paul prayed so much that God should take this away but he received a consoling answer “my grace is sufficient for you.” This was so to help Paul in mortification and humility. Whatever God permits must be for our good and His glory in the long run.
Consequently, we should not be unnecessarily anxious about anything in life like those who do not believe in a loving God who looks after them. After all, our worries can’t even improve our conditions in any way, it can only stress our minds, body and soul.
Faith in a loving God and trust in His kindness and care should keep us from unnecessary worry, He is sufficient to take care of us, we are very dear to Him, if he takes care of lesser things He has created we can be sure that He will take care of us, He is a God who is reliable and worthy of our trust.
I leave you this morning with Philippians 4:6 New International Version (NIV)
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Sermon preached by Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Okami on Saturday, June 21, 2019.