Oct 4th

Post date: Oct 06, 2020 4:0:41 PM

Oct 4, 2020 Homily by Fr. Karl Schray

St. Paul urges the Philippians not to be anxious—

“There is no need to worry.” Of course, there is no way to avoid all worry.

Good people are naturally worried about many things.

But Paul is not talking about normal concerns. He is talking about anxiety.

Nothing is more debilitating or fruitless than anxiety.

It does nothing to solve our problems and it weakens us which makes it

more difficult for us to find a solution to our problems.

The root of anxiety is lack of trust—in oneself, in others, and especially

in God. So, the first piece of advice Paul gives the Philippians is to pray.

He is not suggesting that prayer should take the place of action.

Nor is he implying that their prayers will always be answered.

What prayer implies is that we do what we can, and then to leave things in

the hands of God. To accept what happens then as his permissive will

even though we may not understand it. Remember that Paul

was not being cavalier about worries. At the time he wrote this letter

he was in prison in Rome and eventually beheaded.

Secondly, Paul says, “Fill your minds with everything that is true,

honorable, pure, beautiful, just, and excellent.

And anything that is worthy of praise think about these things.

It helps to share with a friend, a counselor, or a confessor.

It helps to confront the causes of the anxiety and, if possible,

to deal with them.

If we do what we can, and put our trust in God, then St. Paul assures us

that the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Giving our worries over to God is not a one-time handover.

We need to give it all to God every day, maybe more than once a day.

In the Gospel, Jesus challenges us, his followers,

the tenants of the new vineyard (the Church Community),

to produce the fruits of justice, love, and peace. We are our Lord’s

co-workers! What a great privilege. What a huge challenge, too!