Exorcise Your Addictive Anxiousness

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The Book of Wisdom (2:4 and James 4:14) mentions that our lives on earth are no more than a mist that appears for a little while today and then disappears tomorrow. Your name will be forgotten and no one will remember what you have done.  You are like a ship that passes through the water and leaves no trace of itself, or a like a bird flying through the air or an arrow shot at a target.  This reality should lead us to trust in God rather than Mammon, and yet most of us do the opposite.

Serving God rather than money (Matthew 6: 24-34) or security is a matter of trust.  It implies the renunciation of self and what the world promises.  The worship of the idol of money leads to a constant state of anxiety, which becomes the norm. This common condition for most people, even the very rich, is based on the assumption that “I alone” provide for my needs.  What does God have to do with my job?

In the gospel Jesus is taking us on a walk in the Garden of Eden, a healing stroll to open our eyes and cure the restlessness of our heart by observing the world around us. The Lord is using two verbs that encourage a purified vision and let the beauty of creation touch us: “take a long glance” at the birds of the sky, and “learn your lesson” from the lilies of the field. In other words, turn your eyes away from your self and look at the things around you.

Jesus is trying to exorcise the addictive anxiety of worry from our souls.  He invites you to an existence of service that is essentially based on trust, and freedom from anxiety.  To be a slave of God results in a life as effortless, glorious and beautiful as that of the birds, the wild lilies, and the grass.  The service of Mammon, on the contrary, produces a permanent condition of anxiety and continual effort.  The evil is not work; the evil is the anxiety over whether my work will ever suffice.

Jesus as our Divine Physician is offering us liberation and leads us to a radical conversion away from self and into the divine order in nature and in his Word.  This passage of the gospel is one of the most “Franciscan” of all.  Jesus is persuading our soul by the dazzling glory and enchanting beauty that comes with the freedom enjoyed by the birds of the air.

The “worrier”, the “overachiever” who is always calculating losses and gains and providing for tomorrow, the person that the world considers a “responsible adult”, is judged by Christ to be wasting his time on trifles, to be throwing away the better part of his energy and talents on a useless cause.  His soul is atrophying from lack of use, choking from incarceration. But the one whose spirit soars this is the true “adult” in the Kingdom of God because he has perfected the art of trust.

Seek him first and everything else will be given to us.  Look for him among the daily things of your life.  God is with you.  Even if your mother forgets you, I will not, says the Lord.

Aim for something serious for the time of Lent that is fast approaching and use this time well.  If you see the pole is bent very much in favor of Mammon use these upcoming weeks to bend it back towards serving God.  Get up earlier and find a few moments with the Gospels or a spiritual book.  Send us an email to sign up a friend to receive our daily emails.  Light a candle and leave the music off for a period of time.  Read a bit before you turn on the TV at night.  Do something concrete, and do it everyday.  God will help you to acquire this freedom that only comes from him.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1x3_h8zoO9w

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