Gospel of Matthew, chapter 6:34

A woman hired a workman to help her restore an old house. The workman had just finished a difficult first day on the job: a flat tire had made him lose an hour of work, and his electric drill broke down. Then his old truck refused to start. While the kindly woman drove him home, he sat in the passenger seat in stony silence. He had a bad day.

On arriving at his house, he pleaded with the woman to come inside to meet his family. As they walked towards the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, fondling with his hands several branches. When opening the door of his home, he underwent an amazing transformation. His tanned face was wreathed in smiles, and he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss. Afterwards he walked the woman to her car, like a true gentleman.

As they passed by the tree, the woman’s curiosity got the better of her. She asked him: “what did you do to the little tree or, better still, what did the little tree do to you?”

“Oh, that’s my trouble tree” he replied. “I know I can’t help having troubles on the job, but one thing’s for sure, those troubles don’t belong in the house with my wife and children. So I just hang them up on the tree every night when I come home from work and ask God to take care of them. Then in the morning I pick them up again. Funny thing is”, he smiled, “when I come out in the morning to pick them up, they’re all gone. Then, I face each new day with a clean slate.”

Jesus tells us not to worry because our heavenly Father is watching over us. There’s no point in worrying about the past because it cannot be undone, no more than you can unring a bell. The future eludes you also, and it may never come; you could die this very instant. That leaves only the present.

The Lord tells us to focus on the present for “each day has enough troubles of its own.”

Fr. Hugh Duffy