SUNDAY REFLECTIONS | Mass for the Care of Creation
By Social Communications Ministry
Published on September 7, 2025
Jesus said to His disciples, “No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon. Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life—what you will eat or drink, or about your body—what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not more important than they? Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?
Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wildflowers grow. They do not work or spin. But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them. If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will He not much more provide for you, O you of little faith? So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear?’ All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil.”
In today’s Gospel, Jesus invites us to live with trust and simplicity of heart, reminding us that we cannot serve both God and wealth. The words may sound straightforward, yet they strike at one of the deepest struggles of the human heart—our tendency to cling, to worry, and to depend on possessions for our security.
In the context of the Mass for the Care of Creation, this teaching takes on even greater meaning. Much of the suffering of our planet—the pollution, greed, and exploitation of nature—comes from our attachment to material comfort and fear of not having enough. Jesus, however, calls us to a different way of living: a life rooted in trust in the Father’s providence and in harmony with all creation.
“Look at the birds of the sky,” He says. “Learn from the way the wildflowers grow.” These are not poetic lines alone—they are invitations to contemplation. Nature itself becomes a teacher of faith. The birds and flowers do not hoard or grasp; they live in the rhythm of trust and dependence on God’s care. In their beauty and balance, we glimpse the Creator’s hand.
When Jesus tells us, “Do not worry about tomorrow,” He is not dismissing our needs or responsibilities. Rather, He is freeing us from the burden of fear that blinds us to the present moment and to the goodness already around us. Worry narrows our hearts, but trust opens them—to gratitude, generosity, and compassion.
To “seek first the Kingdom of God” means to live in right relationship—with God, with others, and with creation. It means recognizing that everything we have is gift, and that we are stewards, not owners, of the earth. When we care for creation, we express our faith in the God who provides, and we participate in His work of sustaining life.
Today’s Gospel invites us to ask: What do I truly rely on for my peace and security—God or possessions? Do I see creation as a gift to be cherished or as a resource to be used? How can I live more simply, so that others—and the earth itself—may flourish?
