3rd Sunday After Pentecost

(Matthew 6:22–33)

The Gospel appointed for this third Sunday after Pentecost is a section from the famous ‘Sermon on the Mount’ delivered by our Lord Jesus Christ and recorded by the Holy Apostle Matthew. Today’s words are a source of consolation and hope… and yet they also present a real challenge for us.

In today’s Holy Gospel our Lord Jesus Christ exhorts us toward a complete and perfect trust in God, our loving Father, Who knows all of our needs and Who watches over the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. He encourages us to not twist ourselves up in worry and stress over what we shall eat, or what we shall drink, or what shall we wear. Indeed, the final words of today’s Gospel reading are a distillation and perfect summary of the spiritual life – we must ‘seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all things will be added unto us’.

How much time and energy do we waste on our worries and anxieties? It is certainly true that life presents challenges and real hardships… we may be out of work or having troubles at work; we may be struggling financially; we may be suffering from strained relationships; or our health, or the health of someone close to us may be failing… All of these things are difficult and challenging, no doubt about it. But what percentage of these troubles are spent in the direct experience of the issue and what percentage of these troubles are spent in our thoughts and worries about them? More often than not, by far the greatest percentage is spent in our head – thinking about our troubles, worrying and stressing over them – and this worry and stress are killing us physically, psychologically, and spiritually.

Of course, we can and we should do what we can to address our difficulties, but we can never do more than what can be done in any given moment. Christ reassures us that God is aware of our needs. If we would seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, all things will be added unto us. Our Heavenly Father will watch over us. This is a tremendous comfort and yet it is a tremendous challenge for us as well.

It is a challenge for two main reasons… First, we think we know better about what we need. And second, we struggle to place our hope and trust in God.

Our assessments about what we need are often way off the mark. We are worldly people, and we seek worldly things to satisfy ourselves and to give us joy. So much of our dissatisfactions and unfulfilled longings are based on an expectation that if we only had this or that thing, then we would be content and happy.

However, happiness and contentment are not measured by or contingent upon our material success. St Innocent of Alaska writes the following: ‘Truly, not a single earthly pleasure can satisfy our heart. We are strangers on earth, pilgrims and travelers; our home and fatherland are there in heaven, in the heavenly kingdom; and there do not exist on earth things which could perfectly satisfy our desires. Let a man own the whole world and all that is in the world, yet all that will not interest him for more than a minute, so to speak, and it will never satisfy his heart; for the heart of man can be fully satisfied only by the love of God, and therefore God alone can fill the heart and soul of man and quench the thirst of his desires.’

Why don’t we believe this? Why do we continue to ignore God and run after the things of this world which will never fill that void in our heart?

It is due primarily to a lack of trust in God.

Can we dare to say with all sincerity, ‘Thy will be done’? It is extremely challenging for us to let go of our perceived control over our lives. Yet God promises us that if we place our trust in Him, if we strive to live by His commandments, all will be well with us.

And yet, even if we can overcome this lack of trust in God, we may still fear that God’s plan and care for our life may not give us those things which we feel we must have in order to be happy. This is a legitimate concern… God may indeed not give us many of those things that we think we need in order to be happy, but God will give us His love and His grace which so completely eclipse anything of this world. As St Innocent was quoted above: ‘…the heart of man can be fully satisfied only by the love of God, and therefore God alone can fill the heart and soul of man and quench the thirst of his desires.’

It is unrealistic of us to expect that we will not have trials and tribulations. But our experience and our reactions to such troubles will be very different depending on whether we keep our eye on God… If we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, then our whole experience of things may be full of light. When troubles come upon us, we are not so easily defeated, but we can take these sorrows in stride and trust that the Lord is watching over us and that our difficulties can be endured in a spirit of humility and hope. As we read in the Epistle today: ‘We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ… And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance character; and character, hope.  Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.’

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, there is no doubt that we live in anxious and troubled times. There are endless things for us to worry about and the things of this world will never bring us true peace. This life of stress and anxiety cripples us from the peace and joy which Christ offers to our ailing hearts and souls. The sorrows and the diseases of the world are not helped or alleviated by our worry and anxiety – this is pouring fuel on fire. The only thing which counteracts the sorrows and diseases of this world is the grace of Christ – this is the water which puts out the fire. Christ told us: ‘Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.’

God grant us this rest in Him which is born from our trust in His goodness. May we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all things shall be added unto us!