Thursday, 22nd week in Ordinary Time
6th September, 2018: 1 Cor 3: 18-23; Lk 5: 1-11
During the Eucharistic Celebration, post the Lord's prayer, there is a section where the priest prays 'save us from all distress'. In the old version of the missal, the words used to be, 'free us from all anxiety'. Some of my priest-friends for sounding novel, adapted and practical would change it as, free us from all needless anxiety... and I would pick an argument with them- for a Christian every anxiety is needless! Every anxiety is needless because everything belongs to God.
No anxiety, whether about eating or drinking, life or death, success or fear, nothing, absolutely nothing is warranted if I truly believed in my Lord. The Lord is in control... all that I need to do is my duties to the best of my abilities and leave the rest to God.
Call it Nishkama Karma in Indian Philosophical terms, or detachment in psycho-spiritual lingo, or Kantian categorical imperatives in the hi-fi western philosophical parlance... be it what it may, the point is: God is in charge and I need not worry or be anxious. It is a difficult mindset but the most liberating one.
It is akin to a child who is playing with one hand, with anything it can lay hands on, but firmly holding on to its father's or mother's hand with the other. This is the imagery we need to fix for ourselves as beloved children of a incredibly caring God...for us every anxiety is needless, because the Lord takes care of it all!