How much time do you and I spend worrying about the future? Speaking only for myself, sometimes too much. Much of what I get thinking about and worrying about, I really have no control over and it all works out somehow. When St Paul wrote in the second reading, “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.”, the word “anxiety” in this passing end in Greek means ” to be unduely concerned about the future.” One of the commentators, I read that the Scripture was translated into English, the word used meant “to strangle”. What a great way to think about all the worrying we do about the future: it strangles out our joy and our hope. St Paul doesn’t mean that to worry or to have concerns is a bad thing. Parents worry about their children. The shooting in Las Vegas needs to concern each one of us. Worry about a bad storm, worry about a health crisis, and the list continues is normal. Paul tells us these are things we bring to the Lord. Our worries and our concerns are the “stuff” of our prayer. When it becomes a problem is when we allow the worry to take over. We all can get into the mentality of, sure I’ll bring it to the Lord, but I am not really sure God is going to take care of it….and we don’t let the undue worry go….and it strangles out our joy. Our worries and concerns can become an opportunity to put our care on the Lord. A practice of prayer we all can learn is to through out the day to just say to the Lord: Here is what I am worried about, I give it you” and then allow the peace that only comes from God, to fill our hearts. A prayer like that demands trust; but it also is the root of joy. It can is active commitment to a God who is our hope and our shield. To put our trust in the Lord means we have to take active steps like prayer and refocusing ourselves so our hope and trust is not strangled by our over whelming worry. St Paul reminds us to keep our focus in the Gospel that He taught: the Good news of Jesus who conquered all and give us hope by the power of the Cross and Resurrection. I would like to end with a poem we all know:
One night I dreamed a dream. As I was walking along the beach with my Lord. Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand, One belonging to me and one to my Lord. After the last scene of my life flashed before me, I looked back at the footprints in the sand. I noticed that at many times along the path of my life, especially at the very lowest and saddest times, there was only one set of footprints. This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it. “Lord, you said once I decided to follow you, You’d walk with me all the way. But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life, there was only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me.” He whispered, “My precious child, I love you and will never leave you Never, ever, during your trials and testings. When you saw only one set of footprints, It was then that I carried you.”
