(ZEP 3:14-18A; IS 12:2-3, 4, 5-6; PHIL 4:4-7; LK 3:10-18)
Anxiety. Worry. Fear. It can paralyze us. We can be so overcome by our circumstances in life that it feels like the world is closing in on us. It’s like we’re standing in the middle of a cluttered, messy room, surrounded by stuff – the stuff that we’re attached to. Things we’ve accumulated over the years. Items that we’ve pulled out of storage to use one time, but never put away. The messes we’ve made, but never cleaned up. The stuff we know we need to get rid of, but can’t seem to cut loose.
Some things need cleaned. Some things need put away in their proper place. Some things need thrown away. But we don’t know where to start. Everywhere we look there is clutter, there is something obstructing our view. And so we’re stuck. We can’t move. For some of us, it’s just a room, and so we slowly back up and close the door, planning someday to clean that room, but it’s something that weighs on our mind. For others, it’s our house, and there is no escape. We’re paralyzed and we can’t move.
It gets to a point where we may ask someone for help to clean the house or room – Where should I start? What should I do?
Our life is the same way. Maybe we don’t live in a cluttered house, but we all have clutter in our lives. We all have those things that paralyze us, that bring us fear and anxiety and prompt us to worry, and be afraid, and ask God, a priest, or someone else, What should I do?
It can be an illness. A death. A child going through addiction. A job loss.
Or we could come to a fork in the road of life. Do I take this job? Do I move across the country? Do I choose to get married? Do I choose to be a priest? Maybe it’s seeking purpose in our lives and God’s will for us?
And then there are the moral decisions and temptations that go along with them. Should I give more to charity, or do I spend my money on things I don’t need? Do I simply arrest the suspect, or do I get a little rougher with them and go too far? Do I patiently bear those who wrong me, or do I seek revenge and attempt to slander them and destroy their reputation? Do I seek to feed my family, at the expense of someone else’s livelihood?
This is just a sampling of the many types of clutter that are in our lives. Often these are times we seek the advice of a higher power, as the crowds did of John the Baptist in the Gospel today – “What should we do?” Many times we don’t ask that. We simply act. Or we’re on the opposite end of the spectrum and don’t act at all. So often we’re paralyzed with all the worries and anxieties in our life and we don’t do anything. We don’t ask for guidance. We don’t know where to start. We don’t live life.
But yet, deep down – We know what we should do.
Life is like that. We can be burdened with so many things that are pressing in on us at any given moment, and we can’t see the big picture. Often, we just have to take a step back, and look at things from a different angle. By simply looking at our life from a different perspective – whether its through slowing down and contemplating the situation or seeking the advice of another – the solution can be as simple as changing a couple words around in a sentence.
Asking what should we do becomes knowing what we should do. The question becomes the solution.
And so in every aspect of our lives, we must constantly be seeking God’s will, and striving to see things from another perspective. Because it’s often a subtle change that make all the difference. Seeking Christ’s guidance and grace through simply being with Him and receiving Him in the sacraments, or through the advice of others can help us see the task at hand, and look at it in a different way – a way that brings peace and understanding.
Paul tells us exactly how to do this today in the second reading from his Letter to the Philippians, which in its entirety says,
Brothers and sisters: Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
How fitting that answers to our complex problems can be found in such a short, simple reading.
Life can be complex. There is a lot in this world that is frightening and worrisome, and if we let it, it can clutter our lives and paralyze us from doing anything. But much of it is largely out of our control. Much of it just happens. What is in our control is how we act in the midst of it.
It’s simple. We should strive to be kind. We should stay near the Lord through the sacraments. When we’re tempted to worry, we pray. We pray for others. We offer our sacrifices and sufferings for others. We give thanks for everything in our lives, and ask God to help us understand and provide for us, and those around us. And we look to find some sort of joy through all of it. Every day. In everything we do. It’s a tall order, and it’s tough when your going through it – but we always have to try.
We seek God’s strength.
We ask God, what should we do? And then we let Him grant us the peace and understanding in knowing what we should do – that it’s through His Son where we truly find the peace and understanding that can help us de-clutter our lives, and move forward towards our ultimate goal of Heaven.
