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Mark 6: 7-13

Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two
and gave them authority over unclean spirits. 
He instructed them to take nothing for the journey
but a walking stick—
no food, no sack, no money in their belts. 
They were, however, to wear sandals
but not a second tunic. 
He said to them,
“Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave. 
Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you,
leave there and shake the dust off your feet
in testimony against them.” 
So they went off and preached repentance. 
The Twelve drove out many demons,
and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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One of my favorite books is called, The Poisonwood Bible.

Have you read it?

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It’s a story about the Price family from my home state of Georgia. The father, Nathan, is a Baptist minister whose church has appointed him to be a missionary in central Africa, in what was the 1960’s Belgian Congo.

Overjoyed, Nathan decides to bring his entire family along, including his four young daughters, ranging in age from 5 to 16.

Before they go, friends warn them that there’s a weight limit at the airport; each person can only bring forty-four pounds of luggage.

So, the girls rush to their rooms and start putting on as much of their clothes as possible – several pairs of socks each, six dresses, cake mix buckled around their waists, all covered by thick winter coats.

It was just about everything they owned.

“But Daddy,” his youngest daughter says, “he only brought the Word of God. Said it’s all he needed!”

He must’ve read today’s Gospel.

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And yet, when they arrive at the airport, the Price family’s luggage is sixty-one pounds overweight! Slightly embarrassed, they begin digging through their belongings, deciding what items are essential versus what can be left behind.

This gesture of removing items from their suitcase – of tossing out what no longer serves them – pointed to something deeper… something they, we, and the disciples in today’s Gospel, all must to do. 

In order to fulfill their mission, and in order for us to live Christian lives, we must leave more than physical luggage behind.

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In today’s Gospel, Jesus sends the Apostles out on their first missionary journey, instructing them to take nothing with them – no food, no cash, no suitcase. Not even a change of clothes.

Like Doug, the Baptist minister in The Poisonwood Bible, all they have is the Word of God.

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Why does Jesus strip his disciples of their basic necessities? Hasn’t he taken their dignity?Why insist on such extreme poverty? 

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The disciples’ poverty will lend credibility to their message.

By driving out demons and curing the sick for free, they’ll show others they’re not looking to get rich; they’re looking to save souls. All they want in exchange for these miracles is for people to believe – and to behave accordingly.

As Saint Peter later writes to one of those early Christian communities, “Your faith is more precious than fire-tried gold,” because it leads to what matters most, your salvation.

Secondly, Jesus wants the disciples to learn how to trust in the midst of suffering. Not knowing where their next meal will come from or who will offer them shelter that night strips them of that natural human tendency towards self-reliance. 

Relying upon the Lord instead of themselves will make them learn the meaning of those sacred words Jesus taught them, “Give us this day, our daily bread.” 

Similarly, their poverty will instill the virtue of charity into those first Christian communities, instructing those who have more to share with those who have less. As Jesus taught them, “Whatever you do to the least of these, my brothers and sisters, you do to me.”

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Though we’re not impoverished missionaries like the Apostles, or the Price family in The Poisonwood Bible, the Gospel still challenges us to unpack the suitcases in our lives, considering what things we can leave behind versus what is essential.

On the surface, that may mean something physically. As the common saying goes, “Simplify, simplify, simplify.”

But must we wait until the kids go off to college before we downsize? Or are there ways we can live more simply even now?

(It’s amazing what a priest, a man living on his own, can also accrue.)

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Perhaps we’re also being invited to unpack those suitcases within. 

Coming out of this pandemic, maybe we picked up a habit that we need to drop. Perhaps we experienced a heated family argument, leaving anger or frustration inside. Or maybe we need to rid ourselves of an unhealthy fear or painful memories.

This is the harder question: what baggage do I need to empty from my heart?

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“Jesus instructed them to take nothing for the journey.” 

No food, no cash, no suitcase. Not even a change of clothes. Nothing that weighed them down in mind, heart, body, or ministry.

The same is true for us.

Life is a journey. At times it can feel long and difficult. The more we empty ourselves of unnecessary baggage – things that no longer serve us either externally or internally – the easier and more lighthearted our journey becomes.

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Image credits: (1) Pekic, iStock (2) TheBibliofile (3) Heartlight (4) ValuesCoachInc

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Gospel: Matthew 10: 7-15

Jesus said to his Apostles:
“As you go, make this proclamation:
‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
Cure the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse the lepers, drive out demons.
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.
Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts;
no sack for the journey, or a second tunic,
or sandals, or walking stick.
The laborer deserves his keep.
Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it,
and stay there until you leave.
As you enter a house, wish it peace.
If the house is worthy,
let your peace come upon it;
if not, let your peace return to you.
Whoever will not receive you or listen to your words—
go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet.
Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable
for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment
than for that town.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Immediately after inviting the disciples to share in his mission, Jesus puts them to the test.

They’re commanded to journey through the rocky terrain of Palestine with neither sandals nor food, not even a walking stick! 

I find that to be the most frightening part – a walking stick was not only used for stability; it was also used for protection against wild animals and robbers. 

Why does Jesus strip his disciples of such basic human necessities?

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To teach them how to trust.

This is among the most difficult lessons in the spiritual life, learning how to trust in God, which will prove to be a daily test for the disciples. 

When their stomachs grumble, they’ll have to trust that food will be provided. When they’re attacked, they’ll have to trust that they’ll have the strength to defend themselves. When their bodies are tired and achy, they’ll have to trust that strangers will open their homes to them.

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Perhaps you and I are not tested as severely as the disciples were, but we’re all challenged to trust that God will provide for our every need.

Maybe we need a door opened; a prayer answered; our mental or physical health restored. 

“Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him,” Jesus says.

But sometimes we must be patient.

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When was a time I needed to trust in the Lord? Am I being invited to trust in Him now?

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May the Lord grant us the grace to believe, and to wait patiently for Him to act.

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Image credits: (1) Ed Elliott, Medium (2) iStock, Barefoot (3) Personal Outreach Ministry

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Gospel: Matthew 10: 1-4

Jesus summoned his Twelve disciples
and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out
and to cure every disease and every illness.
The names of the Twelve Apostles are these:
first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew;
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John;
Philip and Bartholomew,
Thomas and Matthew the tax collector;
James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus;
Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot
who betrayed Jesus.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Much can be said about this Gospel passage.

It is immensely rich, offering details into the mind and power of Christ, who chooses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. 

This has never changed; the Church remains a community of ordinary believers who’ve done extraordinary things over the last two millennia, from constructing architectural masterpieces to rebuilding lives.

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But allow me to hone in on a single point today: the vast difference, humanly speaking, between the disciples.

Consider Matthew, the tax-collector, and Simon the Zealot. Both were chosen by Christ, but without Him, they would’ve been bitter enemies.

Matthew and Simon were Jewish.

In their days, the Jews largely broke down into four major parties: the Scribes, the Pharisees, the Essenes, and the Zealots. 

The Zealots were precisely that – zealous, patriots par excellence for Israel, often willing to go to extreme measures to fight for the Jewish nation. 

Rome was their bitter enemy, an invading force that kept the Jews from living freely. Matthew, although Jewish, was a Roman tax-collector who would’ve been hated by the Zealots. In a sense, Matthew was sleeping with the enemy.

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Jesus brings these two men together. He bridges the divide; heals the hatred; he unites these men under a single purpose – the salvation of souls.

That’s what God does; he unites. It’s what religion is meant to do. 

Yet how often is religion a source of division, even hatred? 

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This is, perhaps, one of the best litmus tests for our faith: has it brought us closer to other people, even those whom we’d otherwise avoid? Does it inspire us to work for peace? Has it caused us to grow in love for our neighbor?

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Just as Christ summoned his disciples and gave them authority on earth, so the invites us to bridge gaps in understanding, to cast out evil, and to create a world of peace.

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Image credits: (1) Compelling Truth (2) Domenico Ghirlandaio, The Calling of the Apostles (3) National Catholic Reporter