Dear Brothers and Sisters,
As Christians we often doubt the love of God for us and our tendency is to do our own thing and so we behave like Christian Atheists or pagans, at times. We saw this sin in our first parents two weeks ago and last week we saw how prayer can help us to bridge this gap, even if for five minutes a day, make time to speak to him, exclusively. It is not easy to go apart from the world but God will help you, and you will see the power that comes from prayer.
Today in the first reading we hear of another obstacle that prevents us from being authentic Christians: worry, complaining. As a parent you worry about your children, as a provider you worry about your job, as a student you worry about your grades and your future job prospects, etc. At the heart of this temptation to worry is control. If things were more in my control then life would be better.
The word control comes from the German word that means to strangle or to choke, and it strangles the life out of us. You waste a lot of energy and time and it takes away your ability to solve the problems that cause you to worry.
Worry drives a wedge into your relationship with God. When you worry you are telling God you don’t love me, you don’t care for me. God, you are not really in charge of things otherwise you would do them differently.
In the first reading we see an example of some world class worriers. The background of the story is that after four hundred years of slavery the Israelites have seen a series of plagues that led the pharaoh into letting them leave Egypt with gold and everything they need. They saw the Red Sea open for them and how it crushed their oppressors. And now in the desert they worry about how God will provide for them. They continually tell Moses that he brought them out of Egypt in order to kill them.
God sends them manna every day and only enough for the day. And we pick up the story when the committee of moms is asking for water. They are not just asking for it; they are demanding it, and they want it now. It shows their total ingratitude. This is what worry leads us to: self centeredness. All I can think about is me; I don’t trust that God will provide for me. When you trust you can be free and look out for the needs of those around you.
And how do we overcome this? Identify your true concerns (make a list), which are usually important things and see how it is best to approach each one. Seek advice from wise people. And pray about them!
The Samaritan woman in the gospel of John (4: 5-42) is completely transformed from her conversation with the Lord. She is a woman of ill repute and comes to get water at noon; not a usual time to fetch water. At the end of her conversation she even leaves the water jar and goes to her town to tell the people of this man. She tells everyone! And Jesus stays with them for two days. The apostles reap a great harvest due to the testimony of this woman.
It is a great example for us. Don’t be afraid to give tell your story of what God is doing for you. Tell of the word of hope you hear in each Mass and how the music raises your soul. There are many that you can reach by your friendship and concern, and your witness. It takes time, so don’t give up. For sure God wants to save many people through you and through your conversations. St. Paul (Romans 5: 1-8) says when you are justified, that is forgiven by God, you have peace. He died even for us when we were sinners, so how much more will he do for you now that you are getting closer to him.
Don’t be afraid to take a step in this direction of prayer and not worrying. He will help you!