THERE IS NO NEED TO WORRY!
Paul is able to say important truths in just a few words easy to remember. What is surprising is that they are still relevant for us today, in spite of being written long ago. However, we should not be surprised that sometimes they go against the prevalent thinking in our society.
“There is no need to worry” – he tells us. Hearing these words, we may think: Only fools don’t worry, or those who are very rich and don’t need to count their money. Nowadays, the wealthy nations live in a constant fear of the way the markets may react, tumbling down and causing the loss of millions. We may ask: who are the markets? The markets are people buying and selling, and in this case they buy and sell money, or papers that stand for money. Those are frenetic, worried people, without a soul, constantly looking for a profit. They are never satisfied and they live in fear, in spite of all their wealth. They move their money around, always looking for the place that represents fewer risks for their investment. In their greed, they control the world and bring economic disaster to many countries.
In our capitalist society, people count for nothing, and profits are the supreme rule that decides the future of companies and countries.
Nowadays, with huge debts in many countries, anxiety grips the hearts of many. That’s why it is for us that Paul speaks: There is no need to worry. By saying this, he is simply repeating the words spoken by Jesus: “Do not let your heart be troubled” (Jn 14:1). In spite of the difficulties, we must be full of confidence in God. He is our father and he loves us. When we are in need, we should present our needs to him, and he will make a way where there is no way. This doesn’t mean that God is going to give us money or wealth, but he is preparing our hearts and minds to seize the opportunities that come our way. Because we don’t loose trust and confidence in him, we are not ready to go out of the way in order to get what we want, and we will be content with little.
It is time to get rid of the capitalist mentality that instils greed in our hearts, so that we are never satisfied with what we have. Paul advises us on the attitudes that help us to remain human:
“Fill your minds with everything that is true, everything that is noble, everything that is good and pure, everything that we love and honour, and everything that can be thought virtuous or worthy of praise.” (Phil 4:8)
If we don’t listen to Paul’s advice, then one day the words of Isaiah will be applied to us:
“He (God) expected justice, but found bloodshed; integrity, but only a cry of distress.” (Is 5:7).
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