"Ngaa bala magpalibog kamo?"

Ebanghelyo subong nga Adlaw (Mateo 6:24-34)

Domingo (Marso 2)

"Wala sing tawo nga makaalagad sa duha ka agalon. Kay kontrahon niya ang isa kag higugmaon niya ang isa, ukon magadampig sia sa isa kag magatamay sa isa. Indi kamo makaalagad sing dungan sa Dios kag sa manggad.

"Amo ini ang kabangdanan kon ngaa nagasiling ako sa inyo nga indi kamo magpalibog kon ano ang inyo pagakaunon kag pagaimnon agod kamo mabuhi, ukon ano ang inyo isuksok sa inyo lawas. Indi bala ang kabuhi labi pa sa kalan-on kag ang lawas labi pa sa panapton? 

Tan-awa bala ang mga pispis nga nagalupadlopad sa palibot. Wala sila nagasab-og sing binhi ukon nagaani, ukon nagatipon sang ila mga patubas sa mga tambubo, pero ang inyo Amay sa langit nagapakaon sa ila! Indi bala mahal pa kamo sa ila? 

Sin-o bala sa inyo ang makadugang sing mga tinuig sa iya kabuhi paagi sa pagpalibog tungod sini? 

"Ngaa bala magpalibog kamo nahanungod sang inyo mga bayu? Tan-awa bala kon daw ano ang pagtubo sang mga bulak sa latagon; wala sila nagapangabudlay ukon nagahimo sang ila mga bayu.

Pero nagasiling ako sa inyo nga bisan pa si Salomon sa iya kamanggaran wala makasuksok sing bayu nga subong katahom sini nga mga bulak.

Ang Dios amo ang nagapabayu sang hilamon nga nagatubo karon kag buas idap-ong lamang sa kalayo. Indi bala sia magpabayu sa inyo? Ay kadiutay sang inyo pagtuo!

Gani indi kamo magpalibog nga nagasiling, 'Diin bala kita makuha sang aton kaunon, ukon sang aton ilimnon, ukon sang aton mga bayu?' 

(Amo ini nga mga butang ang ginapaligban pirme sang mga Gentil.) Ang inyo Amay sa langit nakahibalo nga kinahanglan ninyo ini nga mga butang.

Sa baylo sini, unaha ninyo ang pagpangita sang Ginharian sang Dios kag ang iya katarungan kag hatagan niya kamo sini tanan nga mga butang.

Gani indi kamo magpalibog nahanungod sang buas, kay ang buas may iya man nga kaugalingon nga palaligban. Wala sing kinahanglan nga dugangan pa ang palaligban nga nagaabot sa tagsa ka adlaw."

Prayers:

“Lord Jesus, free me from needless worries and help me to put my trust in you. May my first and only concern be for your glory and your kingdom of peace and righteousness. Help me to live each day and moment with trust and gratitude for your providential care for me.”

***

Reflection of the Daily Gospel:

What does the expression “serving two masters” and “being anxious” have in common? They both have the same root problem – being divided within oneself. The root word for “anxiety” literally means “being of two minds.” An anxious person is often “tossed to and fro” and paralyzed by fear, indecision, and insecurity. Fear of some bad outcome cripples those afflicted with anxiety. It’s also the case with someone who wants to live in two opposing kingdoms – God's kingdom of light, truth, and goodness or Satan's kingdom of darkness, sin, and deception – following God's standards and way of happiness or following the world’s standards of success and happiness. Who is the master in charge of your life? Our “master” is whatever governs our thought-life, shapes our ideals, and controls the desires of our heart and the values we choose to live by. We can be ruled by many different things – the love of money and possessions, the power of position and prestige, the glamor of wealth and fame, and the driving force of unruly passions, harmful desires, and addictive cravings. Ultimately the choice of who is our master boils down to two: God or “mammon”. What is mammon? “Mammon” stands for “material wealth or possessions” or whatever tends to “control our appetites and desires.”

There is one master alone who has the power to set us free from slavery to sin, fear, pride, and greed, and a host of other hurtful desires. That master is the Lord Jesus Christ who alone can save us from all that would keep us bound up in fear and anxiety. Jesus used an illustration from nature – the birds and the flowers – to show how God provides for his creatures in the natural order of his creation. God provides ample food, water, light, and heat to sustain all that lives and breathes. How much more can we, who are created in the very image and likeness of God, expect our heavenly Father and creator to sustain not only our physical bodies, but our mind, heart, and soul as well? God our Father is utterly reliable because it is his nature to love, heal, forgive, and make whole again. Jesus taught his disciples to pray with confidence to their heavenly Father: Give us this day our daily bread. What is bread, but the very staple of life and symbol of all that we need to live and grow. Anxiety is neither helpful nor necessary. It robs us of faith and confidence in God’s help and it saps our energy for doing good. Jesus admonishes his followers to put away anxiety and preoccupation with material things and instead to seek first the things of God – his kingdom and righteousness. Anxiety robs the heart of trust in the mercy and goodness of God and in his loving care for us. God knows our needs even before we ask and he gives generously to those who trust in him. Who is your master – God or mammon?