THE ANTIDOTE FOR WORRY

HOMILY FOR THE 8TH SUNDAY OF THE ORDINARY TIME OF THE YEAR, A

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

Worry is a killer of happiness. It disturbs the peace of mind of someone. In worry, there is distress and mental agitation. The one that worries too much is even incapable of taking decisions concerning him/her. When the mind is inflicted by worry, the body is rendered so weak and incapable of rational human action. Worry causes illness, prolongs it and can even cause death. Worry hampers our right relationship with God in such manner that the one who worries thinks less of God and more of Him/herself. The one disregards the glory that is due to God and focus more on the problems of life which do not last. The one who worries too much is selfish. Does that sound harsh? Of course, yes, it does. When you worry, you grow selfish as if to say you are the only person carrying overweight. Only if every one of us can open his/her mouth and narrate our troubles and travails, you will grow humble and worry less about your problems. Those problems cannot last. They come and go. When you worry, you give those problems more longevity and strength to attack you the more. When you worry so much, you give those challenging times opportunities to overpower you. I tell you; what the problems of life do is to make us stronger and not weaker. When you allow worry to accompany your problems and prospects, you grow even much weaker that you become incapacitated of solving or achieving them. With these words, I welcome you to our weekly soul food, where we encounter the Lord in his words.
What is it that you worry about? Jesus is asking you this question today. The Gospel (Matt 6:24-34) today re-echoes the message of the First Reading (Isaiah 49:14-15) which is an invitation to quit worrying. The First Reading gives compared the personality of God to a mother. This passage in the oracle of Isaiah talks about the restoration of Zion. Here, Zion is consoled. What type of animal is Zion? Zion is Jerusalem which signifies the place where Yahweh chose for his dwelling place. Zion is His Holy mountain upon which He has set His king (cf. Ps. 2:6). The restoration of Zion or of Jerusalem is a vital messianic conception and a work of the fidelity of Yahweh. It is the source of revelation to the world, the centre of worship to which all nations must resort.
Thus, the consolation of Zion which is the work of Yahweh is a restoration of the initial joy that followed the inauguration of the worship of God in Zion. Zion gets a reassurance. Yahweh asks her: can a mother forget her infant and be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Surely, this is rare, but even if it happens, the Lord cannot forget his children. Zion gets the reassurance that the Lord cannot forsake her in her troubles. That is the same assurance that I give you today. The Lord cannot forsake you in your troubles. When you are being maimed, slandered, and punished by others who desire your downfall, the word of the Lord reminds us that if those people do not change of their ways, the Lord God will make them to eat their own flesh (Isaiah 49:26). If so, why worry? The Lord is there to fight for you.
The Lord will not only fight for you; he will also provide for you. In the Gospel, Jesus crowns it all with this idea of provision. Here, the personality of God is compared to a Father who works and tries very hard to provide the needs of his children. We are bothered so much about what to eat, drink, and wear to the extent that we tend to forget the kingdom of heaven. Inferior creatures that do not have much to eat or drink or wear still survive and are sustained by God. What more of humans who are the image of God? Jesus makes us to understand that worries and anxieties can lead us to materialism and a neglect of God. Too much worry leads to a service of two masters. You want to serve God but you are so worried about that your business or academics that even when you come to the church, you keep thinking about them and distracting yourself with them.
Why anxious about your life? Remember, if God has given you life and thereupon gives you the body to help sustain life, you must trust him that He will provide everything necessary to support life. God owns our lives and provides for us. Worrying is baseless anyway since we cannot even add anything to our span here on earth.
Is there any problem greater than Jesus? Worry is essentially a distrust of God. Such distrust should not be tolerated in the life of a Christian who does not believe in a capricious and unpredictable god. A Christian has learnt to call God by the name Father; and this means we are his children and he is filled with love for us. Jesus advances two ways that serve as antidotes to worry. The first is to seek first the kingdom of God.  To concentrate on the doing of God’s will is the way to defeat worry. Imagine how you feel when you find love in your neighbour, and this love drives out all other bad experiences. You are joyful. So, Jesus teaches that worry can be banished when God becomes the dominating power of our lives. Thus, the sole cure for worry is joy in the Lord. St. Paul in his Letter to the Philippians insisted that we must rejoice. Never be anxious over anything, but let your request be made to God by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving (Phil. 4:4.6).
The second is to learn to live one day at a time. If each day is lived as it comes, if each task is done as it appears, then the sum of all the days is bound to be good. Jesus advices us to handle the demands of each as it comes, without worrying about the unknown future, and things which may never happen. We should not worry even when people ridicule us for righteousness sake. The life of Paul in the Second Reading (2 Cor. 4:1-5) gives us a clue. Paul was not worried about what people say or think of him. He placed his whole trust in God. Actually, when you do not allow your circumstance to make you worry, you become better. When you pray to God to reduce or annihilate any harsh circumstance, the circumstance may not after all be better, but you are sure to be better.
One way of solving worry is sharing. Sharing our worries with one another makes us realize that we are not alone. It makes us think of what the other person suffers and carries which may weigh heavier that yours. But worrying about the future is blind since no one sees the future. Another is to believe that they have not come to be permanent. A circumstance can make one absolutely serene and another worried to death. This implies that both worry and serenity come not from the circumstance but from the heart. Another is to smile at your challenges. Where others see a stumbling block, you see a stepping stone. Where others see a wall, you see a war to combat. Where others see obstacle, you tackle. Where others see themselves as victims of circumstances, you see yourself as a future victor. Where people see sorrow, you see glory. Where people lament over discouraging situation, you are thankful over the opportunity to become a hero. I wish you a worry-free week ahead. Happy Sunday and God bless you.