From the Gospel according to Matthew 4:24-34

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.”

What Are You Seeking?

These words from the Gospel invite me to ask myself what my heart is truly seeking: the Kingdom of God or a life guided by the standards of the world?

In these hectic times, when everything moves so quickly, we can easily forget that, as Jesus tells us, the only thing that truly matters is to seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. Everything else will be given to us besides.

Spouses, in marriage, living the Kingdom of God means making Christ’s love present in our marital union, striving to love as He loves, giving ourselves to our spouse both in good times and in difficult ones, surrendering our selfishness, whims, demands and reproaches, always seeking communion through conjugal charity.

To do this, we must flee from the worldly logic of selfishness, individualism and self-sufficiency, which destroy God’s original plan for us and drive us apart. For this reason, marital prayer and mutual care must take priority over work, family finances, or even the demands of raising children, trusting that God will multiply everything else besides.

When we empty ourselves of selfishness so that God may reign in our union, everything else falls into place and flourishes naturally. Working, coming and going, fulfilling our responsibilities—yes, but without anxiety, trusting in our loving Father, who knows our needs perfectly and desires to care for us tenderly.

How pleasing it is to God when we trust in Him!

Brought into Married Life

Margaret: You’ve spent the entire afternoon at the computer, checking invoices and worrying, and that tension is driving us apart.

Peter: Well, if I don’t take charge of the family’s future, Margaret, who will? I feel as though all the responsibility falls on me, while you don’t seem concerned about it.

Margaret: I’m very grateful that you take care of the accounts, review the bills and manage our finances. I only meant that you seemed overwhelmed, as if everything depended solely on you, forgetting that God provides.

Peter: Yes, you’re right. Instead of seeing that we’re managing to get by, I was only thinking about what we could have saved if we hadn’t made some purchases that I considered unnecessary.

Margaret: You’ve always been more careful with money than I have, Peter, and that has helped us greatly. But I don’t want you to become obsessed with controlling our finances. This year, we’ve seen how the Lord helped us exactly when we needed it most, through that new client you gained, which allowed us to cover all the extra expenses related to our children’s studies. And those expenses you call unnecessary have actually contributed to greater peace within our family.

Peter: You’re right, Margaret. It seems that by trying to control everything, I end up serving the god of money instead of trusting in the Lord and in you. And rather than bringing us together, it does the opposite. Please forgive me for being distant these past few days.

Margaret: We’re in this together, and in everything else as well. Let’s pray, let’s seek the Kingdom of God, and I’m sure He will take care of the rest, as He always does.

Peter: That’s true. Thank you for reminding me of what truly matters. Let’s leave tomorrow’s worries for tomorrow, for each day has enough trouble of its own. Let’s kneel down, pray together, and place all my anxieties into the Father’s hands.

Mother,

Teach us to trust in our loving Father, who knows our needs and always gives us everything we truly require. Help us to abandon ourselves completely to Him, just as you did.

Blessed and glorious are you, Mother! Praised be the Lord forever!