Our Lord literally told the Apostles to go forth without anything but the clothes on their backs and the sandals on their feet to preach the Gospel. And everything was provided for them. There are hundreds of Saints who lived lives of absolute poverty in the world, most prominent being St. Francis. And we are sitting here worried about our mortgages, cars, and modern conveniences. It doesn't seem like we are with Christ if that's where our priorities lay.
St. Matthew, Chapter 6:
I've had this on my mind constantly lately as I flip-flop between worrying and preparing for what is to come while also trying adhering to the Gospels. I think we all need to step back and take it day-by-day rather than constantly fret about what evil could come from a tomorrow that was never promised to us in the first place.
Agreed and along the same lines, in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus said to "watch and pray." The word "
watch" [gregoreo] means "to guard" or "to be vigilant." He contrasts that posture with that of those people "in the days of Noah" who "knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away."
So, we are to stay awake and be on our guard and watch for the signs that Our Lord speaks of. That is different that worrying. If we are ready, spiritually, to lose every material thing, then when it happens, we will take it in stride and not act out of anger or fear. We are the light of the world, and we must always try to shine for others. Easy to say hard to do. That is why we must start now to spiritually prepare
, before things get really bad.