How can we not help but feel anxious in our current environment? We have been living in a pandemic for nearly a year now which has claimed the life of over 400,000 people in our country. We are living at a time when division has never been greater. We are living in a time when so many are anxious about their health, jobs, government, and more.
Yet St. Paul in Sunday’s second reading encourages us to remain free of worry and stay devoted to God. The Lord is in our midst in various ways to free us from our worries and from the social “demons” that impede our spiritual growth. Just as Jesus in Sunday’s gospel drives a demon out of a man, so too does he wish to drive out our demons of apathy, indifference, selfishness, exclusivity, addictions, and greed that impede our spiritual growth and cause us to say things to people we care about that we eventually regret.
We cannot rid worry from our life on our own alone. We need God’s help and we need to help each other. The problem is that we are often exacerbating the anxieties of our brothers and sisters through our outspoken opinions and views. This has never been more widespread than it is today. How do we know if it is safe to share our anxiety with others if we are worried that they may have a different opinion and cast judgment upon us?
We need to cast these differences aside and work towards healing and being light. It is by doing this that can help to free others from their anxiety.
This weekend we are introducing a relatively new song by Cory Asbury (most known in our community for *Reckless Love*) called “Sparrows.” The song begins…
The sparrow’s not worried about tomorrow
”Sparrows” by Cory Asbury
Or the troubles to come.
The lily’s not thinking about the seasons,
The drought or the flood.
A tree that’s planted by the water isn’t phased by the fire,
So why should I be?
Because you take good care of me.
Let us be more like the sparrow and give our anxieties to the Lord and the help others do the same.
