Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Is 49: 14-15; 1 Cor 4: 1-5; Mt 6: 24-34
Dc. Larry Brockman
Sometimes we feel absolutely alone in life! Like when we lose a parent, a spouse , a child, or a friend; or when somebody turns their back on us and walks out of our lives; or when all of these things happen in the passage of time. Sometimes we can even feel that God has left us alone. But there is one thing that is absolutely certain. And that is that God will never, ever forget us or abandon us.
If ever we needed any evidence of that, than our first reading for today proves it; for the Lord basically says: “I will never forget you”. And Isaiah makes the point in the analogy he uses. For indeed, just as a mother does not forget her infant; so also God does not forget any of his creation, especially those whom he created in his own image and likeness. And that applies to all of mankind.
I think that is very easy for all of us to see that- just imagine that you were the creator and you fashioned man in your image and likeness. A special kind of energy; a special kind of concern went onto that creation because you put a bit of yourself in that creative act. How could you forget; how could you abandon part of yourself? You couldn’t; you wouldn’t. You would, indeed, be like a mother to her infant- physically and emotionally attached to the infant. It’s a strong bond of intimacy, love, and physical closeness. It’s the same way with God and each one of us. We are loved that much, each and every one of us. We are God’s infants, all of us.
So, how is it that we can feel abandoned by God? Well, just like a mother and an infant our relationship with God changes with time. The infant grows up! And that self-growth interferes with the relationship between the infant and the mother. Instead of complete dependence on our mothers, we become independent. So also in our relations with God- we think that we become independent and self-sufficient as we experience life. But the reality is that we are never independent of God.
There are two related arguments provided in our readings that show what really happens as we grow. First, as St. Paul points out, we are not independent beings, with special gifts and talents that belong to us. Rather, we are stewards of everything that God gives us. We owe everything to God. And so, we need to be trustworthy stewards, using our gifts and talents as God intended them to be used in appreciation for what God has given us.
Second, as the Gospel says, we cannot serve two masters. We cannot have it our way by being our own master; and satisfy God’s will for us at the same time. There will always be a conflict when we try to be our own masters. But to serve God, we need to trust him, and that means yielding control to God even when it seems threatening to us.
These two things, being trustworthy stewards and trusting that God will lead us in the right direction are hard. Because it does means giving up control to God. None of us likes uncertainty. And yet, there is really only one thing that is certain- the love that God has for us, and the fact that he will not abandon us any more than a good mother would abandon her infant.
Jesus assures us in the Gospel that when we seek first the Kingdom of God and the righteousness that is required to achieve it, then all things will be given to us. Life can seem to be drudgery to us when we feel abandoned. But God has not and will not abandon us.
When we return to our original dependence and love of God; when our focus is on God and the Kingdom of God, then we can recognize what it is that gives us real happiness. Our psalmist says it best: “Rest in God alone my soul.”
Tags: God's Love; God will not abandon; God's love like a mother's love