Take therefore no thought for tomorrow: for tomorrow shall take thought of the things for itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
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Augustine of Hippo
AD 430
With a single heart, therefore, and exclusively for the sake of the kingdom of heaven, we ought to do good to all. And in this welldoing we ought not to think about temporal rewards, either exclusively or conjointly with the kingdom of God. For it is with reference to all these temporal things that the Lord used the word tomorrow when he said, “Do not think about tomorrow.” For that word is not used except in the realm of time, where the future succeeds the past. Therefore, when we perform any good deed, let us think about eternal things and pay no heed to the temporal. Then our deed will be not only good but also perfect. “For tomorrow,” he says, “will have anxieties of its own.” By this he means that you are to take food or drink or clothing when it is fitting that you do so. When the need for them is pressing, these things will be at hand; our Father knows that we need all these things. “For sufficient for the day,” he says, “is its own evil.” In other words, when the need is urgent...
For in the case of those who are seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, i.e. who are preferring this to all other things, so that for its sake they are seeking the other things, there ought not to remain behind the anxiety lest those things should fail which are necessary to this life for the sake of the kingdom of God. For He has said above, Your Father knows that you have need of all these things. And therefore, when He had said, Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, He did not say, Then seek such things (although they are necessary), but He affirms all these things shall be added unto you, i.e. will follow, if you seek the former, without any hindrance on your part: lest while you seek such things, you should be turned away from the other; or lest ye should set up two things to be aimed at, so as to seek both the kingdom of God for its own sake, and such necessaries: but these rather for the sake of that other; so shall they not be wanting to you. ...
Serm. in Mont., ii, 17: But when we read that the Apostle suffered hunger and thirst, let us not think that God’s promises failed him; for these things are rather aids. That Physician to whom we have entirely entrusted ourselves, knows when He will give and when He will withhold, as He judges most for our advantage. So that should these things ever be lacking to us, (as God to exercise us often permits,) it will not weaken our fixed purpose, but rather confirm it when wavering.
Or otherwise; Tomorrow is said only of time where future succeeds to past. When then we work any good work, we think not of earthly but of heavenly things. “The morrow shall be anxious for itself,” that is, Take food and the like, when you ought to take it, that is when necessity begins to call for it.But herein we must be careful, that, whenwe see any servant of God endeavouring to provide necessaries either for himself, or those committed to his care, we do not straight judge him to sin against this command of...
The morrow will bring with it cares enough, to occupy you in providing what will then be necessary for you. Christ does not prohibit all care about temporal concerns, but only what hinders us from seeking the kingdom of heaven in the first instance; or what makes us esteem more the things of this world, than those of the next. (Menochius)
The affliction and labour which each day brings with it is a sufficient trial, nor ought we seek by our anxiety for labour and affliction before it arrive; for why should man forestall the evil day, which has not arrived, and perhaps may never arrive? But again, this does not prohibit us from making a provision for the morrow, for Jesus Christ does not say to us, provide not for the morrow, but, be not solicitous for to-morrow. (Estius, in different location) He who supplied our wants to-day, will supply them also to-morrow. The evil of the day is sufficient, without borrowing to-morrow's burden to increase the load. It is the curse of the envious an...
Ap. Anselm: Having forbid anxiety for the things of the day, He now forbids anxiety for future things, such a fruitless care as proceeds from the fault ofmen, in these words, “Be not ye anxious about the morrow. "He yields therefore unto them that they should care for things present, though He forbids them to take thought forthings to come. For sufficient for us is the thought of time present; let us leave to God the future which is uncertain. And this is that He says, “The morrow shall be anxious for itself;” that is, it shall bring its own anxiety with it. “For sufficient for the day is the evil thereof.” By evil He means here not that which is contrary to virtue, but toil, and affliction, and the hardships of life.
that is to say, the affliction, and the bruising thereof. Matthew 5:34 Is it not enough for you, to eat your bread in the sweat of your face? Why add the further affliction that comes of anxiety, when you are on the point to be delivered henceforth even from the former toils?
By evil here He means, not wickedness, far from it, but affliction, and trouble, and calamities; much as in another place also He says, Is there evil in a city, which the Lord has not done? nor any thing like these, but the scourges which are borne from above. And again, I, says He, make peace, and create evils: Isaiah 45:7 For neither in this place does He speak of wickedness, but of famines, and pestilences, things accounted evil by most men: the generality being wont to call these things evil. Thus, for example, the priests and prophets of those five lordships, when having yoked the cattle to the ark, they let them go without their calves, 1 Samuel 6:9 gave the name of evil to those heaven-sent plagues, and ...
Nothing brings so much pain to the spirit as anxiety and cark. That He says, "The morrow shall be anxious for itself,” comes of desire to make more plain what He speaks; to that end employing a prosopopeia of time, after the practice of many in speaking to the rude populace; to impress them the more, He brings in the day itself complaining of its too heavy cares. Has not every day aburden enough of its own, in its own cares? why then do you add to them by laying on those that belong to another day?.
Otherwise; By “today” are signified such things as are needful for us in this present life; “Tomorrow” denotes those things that are superfluous. “Be not yetherefore anxious for the morrow,” thus means, Seek not to have aught beyond that which is necessary for your daily life, for that which is over and above, i.e. Tomorrow, shall care for itself. "Tomorrow shall be anxious for itself,” isas much as to say, when you have heaped up superfluities, they shall care for themselves, you shall not...
. "The evil of the day" means the crushing burden and pressure. It is sufficient for you that you are afflicted by today’s burden. If you also take thought for tomorrow, and continually burden yourself for the sake of bodily things, when will you have time for God?
