Jesus teaches us through St. Paul today, that true power and strength are found in our weaknesses and by fighting temptation. Many guys think they need to be macho and this leads them to pride, arrogance, and immaturity. Real strength and power come from following God, being a gentleman, and training ourselves to love. I struggle with this daily.
“Therefore, that I might not become too elated,
a thorn in the flesh was given to me, an angel of Satan,
to beat me, to keep me from being too elated.
Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me,
but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you,
for power is made perfect in weakness.”
I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses,
in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me.
Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults,
hardships, persecutions, and constraints,
for the sake of Christ;
for when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Cor 12:1-10
Jesus said to his disciples:
“No one can serve two masters.
He will either hate one and love the other,
or be devoted to one and despise the other.
You cannot serve God and mammon.
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life,
what you will eat or drink,
or about your body, what you will wear.
Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
Look at the birds in the sky;
they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns,
yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are not you more important than they?
Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?
Why are you anxious about clothes?
Learn from the way the wild flowers grow.
They do not work or spin.
But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor
was clothed like one of them.
If God so clothes the grass of the field,
which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow,
will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith?
So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’
or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear?’
All these things the pagans seek.
Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness,
and all these things will be given you besides.
Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself.
Sufficient for a day is its own evil.” Mt. 6:24-34
This is one of my favorite Bible verses to calm my worries and anxiety. I struggle with both very much but it is very hard to see that on the outside. Inside I worry a lot and I am a very anxious person. It is one of the crosses I carry. Jesus continues to teach about the desire of our heart. We cannot serve two masters, God and material things. God loves all of us all the same and He loves us more than we love ourselves. Again, His sole desire is to have us back with Him in heaven, this is why He created us. The decision is in our hands, do our will or God’s will each day (thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven). Love or be selfish. Worship God or material things. It is difficult, thus we must pray, fast, and receive the Sacraments faithfully. Only through God’s grace can we start to put God first over material things. Start simple, when you are tempted pray a Hail Mary. I find myself constantly throughout the day saying them. Then work up to saying a daily rosary. Jesus’ second lesson is to have faith and not worry about our small day to day worries. We must stay focused on our opponent, the devil, and be ready to fight. Our soul is way more important than material things and menial daily tasks. We must stay in prayer, focused in the Scriptures, and ready to fight. Material things will pass away, but our souls live forever. Jesus is warning us to stay focused on the most important things and trust God to take care of our everyday needs (Give us this day our daily bread). As Padre Pio says, “Pray, hope, and don’t worry! Worry is useless. God is merciful and will hear your prayer.”
Daily challenge: Fight and beat the devil in one of your temptations, bad habits, or addictions today. Don’t worry, trust!
Become a saint!
Christian YOLO
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