“If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?”
Luke 12:26 — Greek Interlinear
Church Fathers on Luke 12:26
As before in raising our minds to spiritual boldness, He assured us by the example of the birds, which are counted of little worth, saying, You are of more value than many sparrows; so now also from the instance of birds, He conveys to us a firm and undoubting trust, saying, Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which neither have storehouse nor barn, and God feeds them; how much more are you better than fowls?
That is, you are more precious, because a rational animal like man is of a higher order in the nature of things than irrational things, as the birds are.
But it is a great thing to follow up this example in faith. For to the birds of the air who have no labor of tilling, no produce from the fruitfulness of crops, Divine Providence grants an unfailing sustenance. It is true then that the cause of our poverty seems to be covetousness. For they have for this reason a toiless and abundant use of food, because they think not of claiming to themselves by any special right fruits given for common food. We have lost what things were…