On Worry
"People often say: 'Don't worry, things will work out fine.' But we do worry and we can't stop worrying just because someone tells us to. One of the painful things of life is that we worry a great deal about our children, our friends, our spouse, our job, our future, our family, our country, our world, and endless other things. We know the answer to Jesus' question: 'Can any of you, however much you worry, add a single cubit to your span of life?' (Matthew 6:27). We know that our worrying does not help us, nor does it solve any of our problems. Still, we worry a lot and, therefore, suffer a lot. We wish that we could stop worrying, but we don't know how. Even though we realize that, tomorrow, we may have forgotten what we were worrying about so much today, we still find it impossible to turn off our anxious minds. Can we do anything to worry less and be more at peace? If it is true that we cannot change anything by worrying about it, how then can we train our hearts and minds not to waste time and energy with anxious ruminations that make us spin around inside ourselves? Jesus says: 'set your heart on God's kingdom first.' That gives us a hint as to the right direction. . . .
The Mystery of Obedience and Transformation
"Jesus' advice to set our hearts on God's kingdom is somewhat paradoxical. You might give it the following interpretation: 'If you want to worry, worry about that which is worth the effort. Worry about larger things than your family, your friends, or tomorrow's meeting. Worry about the things of God: truth, life, and light!'
"As soon, however, as we set our hearts on these things our minds stop spinning because we enter into communion with the One who is present to us Here and Now and is there to give us what we most need. And so worrying becomes prayer, and our feelings of powerlessness are transformed into a consciousness of being empowered by God's spirit.
"Indeed, we cannot prolong our lives by worrying, but we can move far beyond the boundaries of our short life span and claim eternal life as God's beloved children.
"Does that put an end to our worrying? Probably not. As long as we are in our world, full of tensions and pressures, our minds will never be free from worries, but when we keep returning with our hearts and minds to God's embracing love, we will be able to keep smiling at our own worrisome selves and keep our eyes and ears open for the sights and sounds of the kingdom."
