We may think that what is the most obvious and necessary thing that must be done would be embarked on without hesitation.
But very often it is not the case, and the obvious and necessary thing is done only when what has preceded had failed.
One
common example is the instruction manual of a gadget or equipment. We
have this tendency to have a go at it hands-on first when the label
would tell us to read the instructions first.
What
the 1st reading said seemed so obvious and necessary - If anyone of you
is in trouble, he should pray; if anyone is feeling happy, he should
sing a psalm. If anyone of you is ill, he should send for the elders of
the church.
Yet,
we seem to do otherwise. When we are in trouble we will get anxious and
will desperately look for solutions and when all is futile then we turn
to prayer. Prayer does not seem to be our first option.
And
even when we are happy, we bask in the euphoria of the moment and we
forget that it is a moment of blessing from the Lord. Being happy and
being thankful does not seem to go together.
And
of course, when we fall ill, we would rather go see the doctor than to
see a priest first to ask for a prayer of healing and strength to bear
our illness.
So what is obvious and necessary is not really what we would do first. Often it may well be the last thing that we would do.
Similarly,
children may seem to be like little concerns and we have more pressing
issues at hand to handle, and so we may not have time to pray with them
and bless them like Jesus did in the gospel.
Today's
readings remind us to take care of the little, obvious and necessary
things in life first. When we take care to let God be first in our
lives, then we will be taken care of by God.