Reading 1
2 Chr 24:17-25
After the death of Jehoiada,
the princes of Judah came and paid homage to King Joash,
and the king then listened to them.
They forsook the temple of the LORD, the God of their fathers,
and began to serve the sacred poles and the idols;
and because of this crime of theirs,
wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem.
Although prophets were sent to them to convert them to the LORD,
the people would not listen to their warnings.
Then the Spirit of God possessed Zechariah,
son of Jehoiada the priest.
He took his stand above the people and said to them:
“God says, ‘Why are you transgressing the LORD’s commands,
so that you cannot prosper?
Because you have abandoned the LORD, he has abandoned you.’”
But they conspired against him,
and at the king’s order they stoned him to death
in the court of the LORD’s temple.
Thus King Joash was unmindful of the devotion shown him
by Jehoiada, Zechariah’s father, and slew his son.
And as Zechariah was dying, he said, “May the LORD see and avenge.”
At the turn of the year a force of Arameans came up against Joash.
They invaded Judah and Jerusalem,
did away with all the princes of the people,
and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus.
Though the Aramean force came with few men,
the Lord surrendered a very large force into their power,
because Judah had abandoned the LORD, the God of their fathers.
So punishment was meted out to Joash.
After the Arameans had departed from him,
leaving him in grievous suffering,
his servants conspired against him
because of the murder of the son of Jehoiada the priest.
He was buried in the City of David,
but not in the tombs of the kings.
Gospel
Mt 6:24-34
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.”
Meditation: Matthew 6:24-34
Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. (Matthew 6:33)
At first glance, this passage can make it seem that Jesus is expecting us to rise so far above the mundane realities of life that we don’t get involved in them. Or it may seem that he is giving us a proven formula for material wealth. But neither of these is accurate. Jesus does want to take care of our needs, even the material ones, and he does want us to keep our earthly blessings in their proper perspective. But seeking first his kingdom is really about letting God mold our outlook.
When you get up in the morning and your heart is already worn out with worries and a to-do list several pages long, you have a choice. You can start chipping away at that to-do list right away, or you can begin by spending time with God. Even spending just ten minutes with the Lord can change your perspective. You will find yourself able to look at your to-do list correctly. Not only will you be able to approach your duties effectively, you will be inspired by the Holy Spirit as well. Who knows? You might even end up being more efficient!
Other times, you may wish there were a guaranteed way to win God’s favor. You may look for a surefire promise that if you just seek God’s kingdom, he will give you everything you lack. But the truth is, as we put aside our own plans and seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit, he can make our outlook more like his. Maybe that new job we want isn’t the best thing for us; maybe as much as we want to see a situation turn around, it really isn’t the right time.
In short, putting God’s kingdom first helps us order our lives correctly. All the needs or problems that weigh so heavily on us are put in proper perspective. Over time, we learn that choosing to give God first place makes us more content with all the other aspects of our lives.
“Father, I place you first in my life. Renew my mind so that I can share your vision. Show me my place in your kingdom.”
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