Solemnity of St Mary of the Cross

Year B

Readings: 1 Kings 17:8-16; Colossians 3:12-17; Matthew 6:25-34

Do not worry

A classic from Jesus today in the Gospel, the reassuring words, “So do not worry!” As we are celebrating the Solemnity of St Mary of the Cross today, the readings chosen for this celebration tell us of the life of Mary Mackillop, who in her life went through challenges and struggles but kept her faith alive in God and left the worries with God as well.

It is natural for us to worry about things. We worry about what is going to happen next, will we be able to finish what we have begun, will we be healthy tomorrow, will there be enough of things/rations for our survival during these uncertain times, etc., etc.! And, quite often, most of our time goes into these worries and we develop all kinds of tensions and stress. That is why Jesus says, do not worry.

I am fascinated with one of these anecdotes about worry, it is attributed to the Irish (any surprises?):

Why Worry? An Irish Philosophy.

In life, there are only two things to worry about—

Either you are well or you are sick.

If you are well, there is nothing to worry about,

If you are sick, there are only two things to worry about—

Either you will get well or you will die.

If you get well, there is nothing to worry about,

If you die, there are only two things to worry about—

Either you will go to heaven or hell.

If you go to heaven, there is nothing to worry about.

If you go to hell, you’ll be so busy shaking hands with all your friends

You won’t have time to worry!

So why worry?

I think this proverb does summarise the question of worry so well (please don’t quote me on the hell part of it though!) it is in a way tells us; worry does not help us in our life! Yes, we need to plan things and organise the events for tomorrow, but worrying about it, whether it will go well, whether things will turn out ok, and so on and so forth, does not change anything that is going to happen. We need to be prepared with our planning and be ready to face the challenges as they come instead of wasting our time just worrying. Our heavenly Father knows our needs, so let us set our hearts on God’s reign first and in God’s righteousness and everything else will fall into place.

We are called to live our life fully today, relish each moment of our being, stop and smell the roses, and live a life that is not directed by worry but by the grace of God. Amen.