Jesus, I trust in you

“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 clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?  Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:25-34)

Over the next several posts I will spend some time reflecting on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5-7 of Matthew’s gospel). My intent was to begin as the Lord did with the Beatitudes. But in light of the way the world has been turned upside down in the past two weeks, it seemed timely to begin with Jesus’ teaching on anxiety.

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus warns us about a number of things that can impede our happiness: anger, lust, divorce, swearing, vengeance, hatred, greed, and… anxiety. In fact Jesus devotes as much attention in the Sermon on the Mount to why we shouldn’t be anxious as to any other subject He touches on.

Why does Jesus place such emphasis on telling us not to worry? Let’s start with the obvious reason: Jesus wants us to be happy, and anxiety and happiness don’t go together. Taking that thought a little deeper, Jesus is showing us how to love God deeply within our hearts and do His will, which is what will bring us lasting happiness. When we worry, we’re not trusting God. We’re not trusting that He will provide for our every need. We’re not trusting that, whatever problems or challenges we have, we can give those problems to Him, and He can overcome them.

When we worry, we’re trusting in ourselves – but at the same time we remember how often we’ve fallen short before. Or we’re realizing how little control we have over any given situation. So how do we react? I know how I react when I’m anxious. I’m so wrapped up in my own problems that I’m not as kind to people. I’m more prone to anger. I just want to be alone. In a way it’s nearly impossible for me to do God’s will when I’m anxious, until I stop to pray, and say, “Jesus, I trust in you. O Jesus, I surrender this to you. You take care of it.” (1) If I pray that and really believe it in the depths of my heart, then I know His peace, and then His grace gives me the strength to do His will.

We live in an anxious age. In many ways we shouldn’t – we live in an age of abundance, and materially are far better off than the generations that preceded us. Jesus and Mary lived (happily!) in conditions of poverty that we couldn’t even fathom. But we also live in an age where we’re surrounded by media, and media profits by feeding our anxieties. Total disengagement from this world and its problems isn’t an option for most of us, and we need to know what’s going on the world to engage other people and help build up God’s Kingdom.

And, as we’ve seen so vividly in the past week, we will face serious challenges and unpredictable disruptions in our lives. Jesus never promised that we would live trouble-free lives (in fact, He promised trials and persecutions), but He also promised that He would be with us always, and that through Him all things, even the trials and persecutions, work towards the good ends He has planned for us.

Our trust in Jesus, nurtured through consistent, daily prayer, can sustain us no matter what is going on in the world. “Peace be with you,” Jesus told his apostles (John 20:21). Jesus likewise told Saint Faustina about trusting in Him, and the joy He receives when we confide in Him:

“You will not be alone, for I am with you always and everywhere. Near to my Heart, fear nothing… Know that My eyes follow every move of your heart with great attention… I am very pleased that you confide your fears to Me, My daughter. Speak to Me about everything in a completely simple and human way; by this you will give Me great joy. I understand you because I am God-Man. This simple language of your heart is more pleasing to Me than the hymns composed in My honor. Know, My daughter, that the simpler your speech is, the more you attract Me to yourself. And now, be at peace close to My Heart.” (Diary of Saint Faustina, 797)

 Notes:

(1) “Jesus, I trust in you” are the words the Lord told Saint Faustina to have inscribed at the bottom of the Divine Mercy image. “O Jesus, I surrender this to you. You take care of it.” is a prayer attributed to Saint Padre Pio’s spiritual director, Dom Dolindo Ruotolo, referenced in Father Michael Gaitley’s book Consoling the Heart of Jesus. Father Gaitley writes: “It is said that to this priest Jesus promised that whoever would surrender his worries, difficulties, and problems to Jesus with the words of this prayer, Jesus would take special, even miraculous care of what is surrendered to Him.”

Prayer suggestions:

**Say one “Hail Mary” each day for an end to COVID-19 and the scourge of evil in our country and in the world, and encourage your family and friends to do likewise. If you can pray a decade of the Rosary each day, or even the full Rosary, that would be even better.

**If you cannot attend Sunday mass, say this short prayer: “My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.” (from praymorenovenas.com)

**Pray this novena beginning Friday, March 20 asking for God’s help with COVID-19 pandemic.

**Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet every day for the salvation of souls!

Image: “Jesus Stilling the Tempest” by James Tissot (downloaded from Wikipedia Commons).