DAILY DEVOTIONAL

Friday, May 25, 2018

So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today. – Matthew 6:34

Remember those reassuring words of Christ when he taught us to take time to consider how the Providence of God cares for both the birds of the air and the lilies in the field?  As Christ often does … He encapsulates the meaning of the teaching with a closing, emphatic statement.  Those birds and the providential seeds tossed by the Hand of God, those lilies graced in gowns designed by the Lord’s Eye, all comes down to being Present in the Providence of this Day and to deal with its particular troubles.  “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”  

It has happened to me and I am quite confident it has happened to you … certain days are lost because the regrets of the past and the worries about tomorrow have stolen away the hours and energies of the present day.  And in so allowing this intrusion by past regrets and future worries, the present day possibilities are too often pushed aside.  And this squandering of this day only weakens both our memories and our dreams.

Christ knew and I have come to know that living in the Present Moment is a more difficult challenge than most realize.  Present-Moment-Living requires focused attention to each breath, to each breeze, to each passer-by, to each note of the singing of the birds and the city.  Present-Moment-Living requires intentional beholding so that one might see what one first fails to see.  Present-Moment-Living requires deep listening so that one might hear the thoughts behind the words an eventually the soul behind the thoughts.  Present-Moment-Living requires opening the doors that suddenly appear and gazing into the places where the wonders are found.

Oh, Christ knew and I have lived long enough that it is certainly true.  Each day will have its challenges, but only a day’s worth.  And a day’s worth of challenges we can manage.  And in the living well and faithfully this present day, to be truly present where God is present, is to enrich one’s past and to enlighten one’s future.

Always in Christ’s Service,

Fr. CHaritas de la Cruz