Daily Retreat 06/21/08

2008 Jun 21 Sat: Aloysius Gonzaga, r M 2 Chr 24: 17-25/ Ps 88(89): 4-5. 29-30. 31-32. 33-34/ Mt 6: 24-34   From today's readings: "Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord?...  Forever I will pledge My love for My Servant....  Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness...."   What are you worried about?   The Lord's Sermon on the Mount, if taken seriously, brings a whole new perspective to both big things and little things in life.  Although the priceless reminder that we cannot serve both God and mammon presents us with one of the most fundamental either/or dilemmas in life, we nonetheless still work to have it both ways, desperately seeking a successful ratio between amassing treasure on Earth and treasure in Heaven.   But precisely because we hold back from serving God with all our hearts, we thereby resist filling our hearts with the tremendous treasure of His comforting presence and promises.  What am I to eat?  What am I to drink?  What am I to wear?  What's going to happen to me tomorrow?  These and a thousand other daily worries preoccupy us incessantly only because they are legitimate concerns for those who believe that ever-fickle Mammon is what feeds us and clothes us and protects us and provides for our future.   But Jesus insists otherwise - just by looking up, one can note how the birds of the air, by divine providence, find food and drink without spending a cent; or, by looking down, one can observe how the lilies of the field, by the magnanimity of God, clothe grass with beauty beyond the pale spring styles of designer labels.   But surely God's solicitude and generosity has more in store for His children than for birds and grass?  Yes, of course, which is why Jesus teaches us to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness..... Fr. Rory Pitstick Our Lady of the Valley Parish 2511 N. Elmway Okanogan WA 98840 USA (509) 422-5049 "Illum oportet crescere, me autem minui." John 3:30