The apostasy of Joash, described in the Second Book of Chronicles, is a reminder of how the influence of bad companions may result in very poor decisions.
The inability to serve two masters and our preferred attitude of dependence on God are the subjects of Jesus’ teaching from the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew.
* [6:25–34] Jesus does not deny the reality of human needs (Mt 6:32), but forbids making them the object of anxious care and, in effect, becoming their slave.Tom Purcell reflects on the relationship between these passages.
the blessings we enjoy also may be our roadblocks – our attachments to people and things and material goods make it much harder to live life in harmony with God. What Jesus is calling us to do today, and what the people of Judah did not do, is to be in tune with God, to synchronize our actions with the life that God calls us to live, to detach ourselves from things that do not matter and to help God do the things that need to be done to bring about the Kingdom of God here on earth.Don Schwager asks what do the expressions "serving two masters" and "being anxious" have in common?
They both have the same root problem - being divided within oneself. The root word for "anxiety" literally means "being of two minds." An anxious person is often "tossed to and fro" and paralyzed by fear, indecision, and insecurity. Fear of some bad outcome cripples those afflicted with anxiety. It's also the case with someone who wants to live in two opposing kingdoms - God's kingdom of light, truth, and goodness or Satan's kingdom of darkness, sin, and deception - following God's standards and way of happiness or following the world's standards of success and happiness.The Word Among Us meditation on Matthew 6:24-34, suggests what Jesus wants us to be on the lookout for. He knows it’s impossible for us to stop worrying completely. But He wants not to let anxiety paralyze us.
Some experts recommend keeping a “worry list” and setting aside thirty minutes during the day devoted to the list. Each time a worry starts to dominate your thoughts, stop and write it down. Then put the list aside until your worry time. That’s when you can pay attention to it. If it’s something you can fix, make a plan to fix it. Plan to call a mechanic and make an appointment to check out that noise in your car. But if the worry is something you can’t control, like the future of your airplane flight, acknowledge it, recognize that it’s out of your hands, and do your best to turn it over to God.Friar Jude Winkler describes how Joash allowed himself and the nobles to behave in pagan ways resulting in Judah being conquered. If we do evil things, the evil will come back on us in the misery we have brought into our lives. Friar Jude offers prudence as a balance to Jesus use of Jewish exaggeration in His teaching. When we selfishly build up riches, we are stealing from the poor.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, summarizes teaching on justice noting that only by solidarity with other people’s suffering can comfortable people be converted. Otherwise we are disconnected from the cross—of the world, of others, of Jesus, and finally of our own necessary participation in the great mystery of dying and rising. Watch this short music video of Eileen Shaughnessy, who teaches on environmental and social justice at the University of New Mexico & the In-Betweens hosting a dance party with friends in front of a beautiful mural—“Honor the People” by artist Nani Chacon—on historic Route 66 through the heart of Albuquerque.
The attitude described by Jesus toward the material world places emphasis of being in harmony with the will of God.
References
(n.d.). 2 Chronicles, chapter 24 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 23, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/2Chronicles/24:17
(n.d.). Matthew, chapter 6 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 23, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew6:48
Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved June 23, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 23, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org
(n.d.). Meditations - The Word Among Us. Retrieved June 23, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/
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