Trinity XV- Matthew 6:24-34

 The Gospel for the Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity is from St. Matthew 6:24-34. The reference to God's provision is appropriate for late summer/early autumn, the beginning of the harvest season, but it implies much more. It points us to divine providence and mercy in all its expressions. All creation depends upon God for existence and survival. He watches over and cares for wild plants and the least birds. How much more must He care for human beings, especially for His faithful people! 

Divine providence also implies other points. An important result of God's care is His expectation of a faithful response. This expectation appears in the first verse of this Sunday's Gospel. In Matthew 6:24, Jesus says, "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." God's grace comes first, but human beings must respond. We must choose: either we serve God, or we serve material wealth and possessions. We can not have two top priorities, and if we try, life becomes filled with irreconcilable conflicts. 

Divided loyalties remain an ongoing issue in human life. When people are prospering, they tend to become greedy to increase profits or comforts. When they are facing economic uncertainty, people tend to become anxious or grasping just to maintain minimal standards. In both cases, materialism tends to push loyalty to God and His eternal values aside.

Yet, our passage also contains beautiful images of what life can be like when human beings put God first and trust in Him. Christ points us to examples from nature. Even birds and wildflowers, which only live briefly, are cared for under divine providence. So faithful human beings should find comfort and joy in life. Earthly life may be fleeting, but God cares for us and gives us what we need. And as believers, we trust that when our allotted time here is complete, God will grant us even greater spiritual solace. Therefore, let us cast aside faithless anxieties. We must reject the idolatry of mammon or materialism. Let us place God's kingdom and His righteous standards first. Then life becomes truly meaningful.