Thanksgiving 2013 (Matthew 6:25-33) “Do
not worry.”
Worry is
about the fear of the future. It is an anxiety that subverts the joy of the
present. It borrows trouble from a fantasy future that may or may not ever
exist.
Jesus very
pointedly teaches: do not worry. Worry, for most of us, is choice we make. In
that choice we establish a pattern of thought and emotional reaction. Eventually,
that pattern becomes an embedded behavior that defines our path through life.
My
grandfather always advised my brothers and I not to worry about things. “you don’t
need to worry about anything,” he would say. “You father worries enough for all
of us.”
Worry is a distortion
of the soul that has real physical effects on the human brain. Both the Bible
and modern science reveal that we can train our thoughts. We can adopt a
pessimistic view of life that perceives a threat in every frown and an enemy in
every smile. Ot , we can live by grace through faith.
The basic definition
of grace is “gift”.
Moses and
the prophets observe that all of life is a gift. They also observe that we did
not create this world or ourselves. We do make choices to distort our perception
of the world. We also make choices to subvert the pattern that exists in the
world.
The pattern
is the Logos. The Apostle John very clearly, precisely and even poetically
writes about the Logos as the co-eternal Word of God by whom, through whom and
for whom this world and our species was created.
Worry is a corruption
of rational analysis and planning. Worry looks at the world and sees only
threat, feels only fear, exists in a narrow space of reaction to imagined
danger.
The antidote
for worry is to give thanks for the blessings of the present moment.
At this
moment, right here, right now, what are you experiencing?
Remember,
worry and anxiety are about a possible future that has only a remote
probability of coming to pass.
The pattern
of the universe is grace. It is the gift of God in the co-eternal Beloved of
God to live and move and have our being in the Real Presence of the Holy Spirit
of God in the present moment.
On this
National Holiday of Thanksgiving the Church asks us to pause and ponder the
reality of the present. Right here, right now, what are you thankful for. Jesus
is right here in the blessed sacrament of the altr. He is here for you. He
offers his friendship to you. In that friendship he gives you the grace, the
gift, of freedom.
Jesus will
set you free from the resentments and anger of pain that rises from past
events. Jesus will set you free from the worry and anxiety that rises from a
false belief that the future will only bring more pain. Jesus sets us free by
calling our attention to His Real Presence in the present moment.
Let the past
go. But, let it go in and through the love of God the Father in the Real
Presence of God the co-eternal Beloved, by the infusion of grace of God the
Holy Spirit. Let the past rest in peace.
Let the
future go. Whatever future you are holding onto through worry and anxiety is
only an illusion. Jesus will be in whatever future you are journeying into.
There is no need to fear now about a future threat. Jesus will walk with you
and stand by you in the pleasures and in the pain of life as it unfolds in
time.
Grace sets
us free to be.
When God reveals
his name to Moses He says: “I AM”.
God is the
eternal present. Jesus is the Real Presence of God in the present moment. The
present moment holds the pattern of the Logos, the co-eternal Beloved of God,
in grace.
In that
grace we meet and enjoy the great love of God in Jesus Christ.
What are you
thankful for at this time and in this place? Trust Jesus to set you free from
worry and fear to enjoy the gift of God in the Real Presence of God in the here
and now of an eternal moment of grace.