Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Because February, while technically the shortest month of the year, is somehow, ironically, the longest month of the year, and because we seem to be getting pounded with snow again and again, it’s nice to remember what summer’s like, to give us hope that someday, hopefully soon, the snow will melt, warmer, sunnier days will return, and we’ll be able go outside and participate in our favorite summer activities.
One of those activities that can be a lot of fun is swimming, either at a lake, or at a pool. At a pool, its interesting to see a young boy or young girl, usually with little floaties around their arms to help them float, waiting to jump in while mom or dad is ready to catch them. You can almost see the thought process as the scenario unfolds: are these small orange things really going to keep me from drowning? Is dad or mom going to catch me? If they do catch me, can I be sure that they’re not going to let go? But then how rewarding is it when they take the leap, splash into the water into mom or dad’s arms, and realize that jumping in can be great fun, and they don’t have to be afraid.
In many ways, the leap of faith that Jesus asks us to take in today’s Gospel is even greater than that leap of faith a child takes when it decides to jump into its parent’s arms in the pool. Jesus tells us, “do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear.” ‘Sure Jesus,’ we might say to ourselves, ‘easy enough for you to say. But you’re not living in this economy. You don’t have to put food on the table for a spouse and kids.’ And yet, to many of the people Jesus was talking to, their financial lives were much more fragile than ours. There was no St. Vincent de Paul society to help them out, no Meals on Wheels, no welfare. In Jesus’ time, if you were somehow unable to work, much of which was simply to get by, then you had your family to back you up. If you had no family, then you were really out of luck. No one had your back.
And to those people Jesus says, “Don’ worry about food, drink, clothing, or life.” The leap of faith that that decision takes is enormous, because we can be afraid. We can be like scared, little children, sitting alongside the pool, wondering if our mom or dad is going to catch us. But, of course, God the Father, the source of all fatherhood and motherhood, is never going to let us drown. He is always there to catch us. If He weren’t, we would cease to exist. If His love were not sustaining us each and every millisecond of our lives, there would be no us. And, besides, as our first reading tells us, even if our mothers forsook us, and what a horrific thing that would be, the Lord would never forsake us. Even if our earthly parents let us go underneath the waves, even then the Lord would never forsake or forget us. He loves you, an individual, with all of who He is.
And what is the proof of that love? Jesus tells us that, as far as food goes, God makes sure that the birds of the air have food each day. They don’t have freezers or microwaves; they don’t have cupboards where they can store canned goods. And yet, God provides for them anyways. And are we not more important than sparrows? Certainly. Jesus also uses the example of the flowers of the field. They don’t worry if Abercrombie is in this year, or if this pant/shirt combo from Hollister is sheik. And yet, even Solomon, the richest man in all Israel could not make clothes as beautiful as those flowers are. And if the flowers, which are here today and withered tomorrow are clothed so, how much more will God make sure that we have proper clothing; maybe not Abercrombie or Hollister, but clothes to keep us warm in these winter months, clothes to help us do our jobs.
Does this mean that we can just put everything on Visa because it’s everywhere we want to be? Does this mean that for everything else we use MasterCard? Does this mean that we don’t leave home without our American Express? No, buying on credit is not the answer. God will not pay off our credit cards. But if we, the Body of Christ, take Jesus’ teachings to heart, then no one will worry about food, clothing, or the basic necessities. If we “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,” then we will make sure that, after we have provided for our families with the capital that comes from our work, no matter how exalted or base it may be, that what we have left will go to support St. Vincent de Paul, food banks, and other charitable organizations that provide for people in their need. If we are first seeking the kingdom, then we are not just in it for ourselves. The way that we treat others, the way that we love others, becomes paramount.
But that only happens if God is our Master. We cannot serve two masters. You will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. Who is our master? Is it God or MasterCard? Is it God or our jobs? Is it God or our money? The answer to that question can be discerned by evaluating what we love most. What comes first in our lives?
Today we are standing at the edge of the pool, and God our Father is standing in the water. Do we stay on the concrete, on the security we think we have built with our hands? Or do we take God at His word and jump in, trusting that our Father will not let us drown and that, in fact, the excitement at jumping in far outweighs the false security we think we have on the concrete edge? The Father is waiting. Jump into His arms.
