Jesus is raising the question, "Is physical well-being alone a worthy object which we should devote our lives? Has human life no more significance than this?" This, says Jesus, is a pagan attitude to life. "Pagans run after all these things." This does not mean that you should not make plans for the future or take sensible steps for your own financial security. What Jesus is questioning is consuming anxiety that destroys one's peace and trust in God by distracting us from eternal values.

Consuming anxiety, worry or fear is incompatible with faith in your heavenly Father who knows your needs. He drives home this point by several illustrations. If God has granted you the gift of life, can we not trust him for things like food and clothing? If God has granted birds and flowers the ability to flourish and feed themselves, can we not trust him to take care of us who are much more valuable than they? The world goes on its way provided for by heavenly Providence. We are part of that world and are precious in our heavenly Father's eyes. Can we not trust in him to take care of us? Is it not a sin to doubt that? If we, as parents, were committed to taking responsibility for our children when they were little so that they did not have to worry about being secure, how much more secure should we feel as children of God? This teaching raises several questions. Does this teaching on faith encourage excusing ourselves from taking responsibility for our own welfare? Does not God help those who help themselves? Some people can use this teaching to sit on their hands and do nothing, expecting God to take care of them, when they should be taking care of themselves. Jesus uses the birds as illustrations of industrious activity. God feeds them, not by giving them handouts, but providing them with a natural habitat where they can feed themselves. Birds are always busy finding food for themselves. Plants also draw on the soil, air and moisture to sustain themselves. We live in an economic and physical environment provided by God by which we draw our means of survival and human flourishing. St. Paul tells us that if we do not work we shall not eat. Faith is no excuse for laziness.

Another question this teaching raises has to do with so many who do have to worry about where their next meal is going to come from because God does not seem to be providing for them. What about the poor, the homeless, the unemployed, the disabled, and the refugees? What prevents people from taking care of themselves? What is hindering our heavenly Father in his desire to take care of their needs? It is not his lack of desire to take care of them. He has provided ample resources in the earth and the sea to feed and clothe all people, yet there is famine caused by terrorism, war, human selfishness and political corruption. Jesus warns his disciples that there will be famines and natural disasters, wars, persecution and great distress (Matthew 24). He tells them that the nations will be judged on whether they feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, give hospitality to the homeless, clothe the naked, care for the sick, and visit those in prison (Matthew 25). In other words, God's purpose is to take care of others through his own children, through us. We are his means to provide for those in genuine need. How we do that most effectively is a matter of political debate.

Jesus teaches us not to be anxious, but he does not promise that we will be free from need ourselves. This teaching is not a panacea for the challenges of life. There will still be economic downturns when money will be short, and prosperity is elusive. There will be a temptation to blame it on God or on some section of society, and there may be plenty of blame to go around. Profligacy, waste, financial and political irresponsibility may contribute to the conditions in which we find ourselves. But Jesus is teaching us that we still need to have faith in our heavenly Father to sustain us. We should not see ourselves as victims. We are to continue to seek first God's kingdom and his righteousness when there is little righteousness to be seen around us in the world. We cannot let fear and anxiety control us. We are to live in the present and let tomorrow take care of itself. "Each day has enough trouble of its own." Jesus was not immune to trouble. He could have been consumed with having to face the Cross, but he lived in the present, taking care of the needs of those around him, sustained by his faith in his loving heavenly Father. He is not teaching us to ignore and deny suffering, but to live each day in the faith, hope and love, of the kingdom of God. Make that your priority he says. Seek that first of all. Focus on that and all things will be given you that you need.

Worry is a waste of time and thought and nervous energy. Too many of us worry for nothing. What we worry about may never materialize. That does not mean that we should not take precautions. Life is a battle. We cannot afford to neglect our defenses by making light of our adversary. Sometimes we have to plan for the worst, even though it may never happen. Such precautions may deter attack. They may enable us to sleep easier at nights. Taking action to protect ourselves is better than just worrying about it and doing nothing. That is why we have insurance policies, savings accounts, and investments. That is why we take care of our health. But, in the end, our faith is not in our plans, our cleverness, our providing for every exigency, for the future is uncertain, and our abilities are contingent upon many variables over which we have no control. In the end, after we have done all that we reasonably can, we must trust in our heavenly Father to take care of us.

We can spend our lives protecting ourselves from physical discomfort by being preoccupied with our material needs. Jesus said that we should seek first God's kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to us as well. That means seeking God's wisdom and guidance in how we live each day, how we spend our money, how we take care of the needs of others. We are to make the priorities of God's kingdom our priorities, for it is those priorities that are going to last beyond tomorrow. What we choose to do with who we are and what we have indicates our commitment to God's kingdom. It also shows whether we have little or great faith in our heavenly Father to take care of us.

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