"Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?" The anti-anxiety message Jesus gives us today is not just ancient pop psychology. The point of this passage isn't to give us a "strategy" for coping with our fears. Jesus is proposing something much more profound. He is teaching us how to eliminate our fears altogether. To put it simply, he tells us to get our priorities straight. This whole reflection on worrying culminates in the instruction to "seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness." That's where our freedom lies. When we concern ourselves with being in right relationship with God, our other concerns melt away. Deep down, we know that this life isn't about bodily health or comfort. Those things don't last anyway. But freedom from fretting is more than simply thinking about how it'll all work out--eventually--in heaven. No. Jesus offers us more. He insists that our heavenly Father will provide for us, here and now. We only need to take him at his word. That means sticking to our part of the bargain by putting God first.

"Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow." Today Jesus continues the powerful teaching of his Sermon on the Mount. Typical of this famous sermon, here he urges us to see things in a new way, specifically regarding situations and people who bother us. First, he tells us not to seek revenge. Instead, we are to demonstrate incredible generosity. Then, he instructs us to "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." These instructions don't come naturally to most of us. We are much more inclined to want to get even with those who cause us to suffer, and to wish ill for those who have hurt us.

"Whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Jesus presents two paths for us today: we can break his commandments or obey them. And the result corresponds to our choice. If we decide not to follow God's guidelines, we will not enjoy the fullness of the kingdom of heaven. But if we choose otherwise, eternity will look much brighter for us!

"You are the light of the world." Speaking to his followers, Jesus tells them of the influence they are meant to have. Like the seasoning that gives food its flavor, they are to be "the salt of the earth" and like a lamp on a lampstand that "gives light to all in the house." Clearly, their influence on the people around them is meant to be positive and substantial. But what is the source of this irreplaceable influence? Elsewhere in the Gospels, Jesus declares that HE is "the light of the world" (cf. Jn 8:12). So when he tells his disciples that "your light must shine before others," he is speaking about the light that comes from following him, from believing in him, from living their lives for him and with him. The light of Christ brightens the world, showing us the truth and meaning of our existence. And to the extent that we have that light in our hearts, it naturally spreads out to impact those around us.