examination of the heart 288 advises you not to be anxious about anything, but to leave all your concerns for temporal and eternal goods to Him. To address your concern for the necessities of the body, He gives you the example of the birds of the air, which neither sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns, but the Heavenly Father feeds them; in His eyes you are better than many sparrows (cf. Mt 6:26; 10:31; Lk 12:6-7). As for the necessities of the soul, His goodness will provide for them. It is He who advised [f.79v] all His servants: “do not be anxious about your life” (cf. Mt 6:25). Why? Because the same Lord who takes great care of bodies displays even greater care of souls. Behold, He does not admit you to His table today in vain. He is going to grant you many goods indeed, if only you would be properly prepared to accept them. After Holy Communion 1. “What shall we eat?” (Mt 6:31). Stop it, stop it now, my soul, do not complain any more about your food, but rather think about paying for it. You are already full, and have already drunk; you are no longer hungry or nagged by thirst. You have been most abundantly and most sumptuously fortified and treated. But instead of paying, you must give thanks to your Cup-bearer, your Master of the feast, namely: the Lord, who welcomed you to His banquet, fed you with His Body and gave you His Blood to drink. Let the little birds of the sky be an example to you: having received food on the ground, they fly up in the air and bring forth a sweet song, as if giving thanks to God, who gives them food. Let the beasts of burden also be an example to you: they recompense their masters for food with the fruits of their hard work. Let the gardens too be an example to you: with their crop they reward their owners’ careful cultivation and irrigation. You are a bird and indeed a nestling of the Eagle that urges you to flight. Therefore, with affections pointed toward the Heavens, sing sublime thanks to God, Who provided food for you. You are Christ’s beast of burden; therefore, compensate Him for your food
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