Optional Memorial of martyred Saints John Fisher and Thomas More

English Martyrs in defense of Marriage

Lectionary: 370

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...

King Joash listened to the princes and with them forsook the temple of the LORD. 

We heard yesterday of Joash's being hidden in the temple for several years before Queen Jehoida was ousted and slain. But the young prince had not learned in his hiding to trust in the Lord. He was easily guided by the corrupt princes who supported him. 

Joash led like many of today's elected office holders who study the polls intensely. Appointed as leaders, they do not lead; they are driven by fear and ambition, and deaf to God's law and the Church's teachings about human dignity. They give consumers and their wealthy patrons what they want regardless of long-term consequences. Those who hesitate to follow the polls are immediately reminded that they can be replaced by more compliant "leaders." 

Their  corruption begins, of course, with the electorate who cynically believe that "all politicians are corrupt." A democracy can represent only its people; they get the leadership they deserve. Their so-called leaders reflect the avarice, greed, and infidelity of their supporters.

Today' Gospel speaks to that group, to those who may not see themselves as powerful, and have no apparent ambitions for political office. Their anxiety makes a difference; their lack of faith in God shapes their world. 

The Lord urges them, "...store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be." 

Today's "treasure" is credit. It's freely given to the vulnerable young whose background and education forecast a future of substantial income and market-driven spending. They will want more than they can afford, and dream of things they do not need. They will put off having children, or have no children; for children only sap the resources of young adults and offer little promise of future return on investment. As they use and amass ample credit, they will be forever in debt. 

Perhaps the Lord rewords his advice for today's democratic consumer: "Store up credit in heaven which is built on God's providence. In that place, neither corrupt politicians nor greedy capitalists can drain your energy, generosity, and trust." 

"Look at the birds in the sky!"

There's not as many as there were before the onset of industrial waste and pollution, and many species have disappeared, but they still trust in God's providence. 

...they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they?"

"While we have time, let us do good!" Saint Francis urged his friars. There are still birds in the air, and grasses still grow abundantly in the empty lots of our cities and the cracks in our sidewalks. We still have time to learn from Earth's vitality to follow God's moral leadership and invest with dignity in generosity, compassion, and courage.