Mark 6: 7-13
The Word: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071424.cfm
O God, who show the light of your truth
to those who go astray,
so that they may return to the right path,
gibe all who for the faith they profess
are accounted Christians
the grace to reject whatever is contrary to the name of Christ
and to strive after all that does it honor.
(Collect for Sunday)
Our Gospel this Sunday brought the memory of a
travel adventure my parents once shared.
Several years before my father took ill, he and my mother had the
chance, for the first time, to travel to Eastern Europe and visit Lithuania,
the country where their parents had come from.
They were very much looking forward to
meeting relatives they had been able to communicate with by email but had never
met. They were eager to go, they met the relatives and had a great time. Both spoke the language so that was not a
concern. They were met with a great welcome and joined with our family over
there as if they had always known them. Despite some of the small farm towns,
and the dirt floors in some locations, they enjoyed the whole experience.
When they returned home, they remarked how
generous the relatives were when they were leaving. When they were leaving one of the country
towns where the relatives had gathered, everyone wanted to give them something
to take back to America as a sign of their gratitude. My parents both wondered how they would ever
get everything back on the plane, but they graciously brought back what they
could.
We hear about travel this Sunday when Jesus
tells his apostles as he sends them out, two by two, to take nothing with
them: only the clothes on their backs, a
walking stick and no money. Travel light and only with absolute essentials.
So, our missionary Gospel this Sunday seems
an important insight into discipleship.
It's one indication that Jesus, who gives without cost, expects the same
from those he sends in his name to preach, heal, and gather into the new
journey of life he invites in to. Yet, the conditions he demands seem extreme:
". . . 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 . . ." The Scout
motto of -"Be prepared" could simply not apply in this case. You
don’t’ need all the stuff we worry about when bringing the lesson of the good
news. It just weighs you down and
distracts you.
Yet isn't that somewhat the point here? Jesus is not calling these Twelve to an easy
holiday and this is not a trip to the local Galilee Spa Resort. This is a
radical call to Christian discipleship.
Along the way they are to move out two by two, wise for safety reasons,
to exorcise, proclaim the Good News of the Gospel, anoint the sick with oil,
the basis of our sacrament of Anointing the Sick, and rely on the charity and
hospitality of others. This call to go out follows from last week’s Gospel
where Jesus was rejected by his own family and townsfolk. He couldn't work any miracles in Nazareth and
these Apostles witnessed that. So,
sending them out to do the very work he was rejected for must have seemed a
lesson in frustration. But it’s clear they went, nonetheless.
In addition, they should not worry about
results or who might have had more "success" than others. It's not
about competition or who got there first it's about faithfulness to the message
of the Gospel. Some will welcome it and
others will reject it. Don't waste time
- move on. The message needs to be heard despite closed hearts and ears.
The essence of the Gospel of Christ is
conversion and at times a radical indifference to the material world. We can
have things, and we all do, but can you live without them? What would your life
be like if you lost what you had? Is
that all I live for? It's a good fundamental question for us all. It's not the kind of advice that would
support a healthy economy. To make
things happen, we must spend money, circulate it, buy things, create jobs,
compete for the best and achieve success.
This kind of template cannot be laid on the Christian message of
discipleship. What about the clothes hanging in your closet? When's the last time you wore them? Do you really need them, or might you be able
to donate them to some cause so that others might benefit?
So, what are we to do? Should we all live like Francis of Assisi or
Mother Teresa of Calcutta or like Trappist Monks? Each of us in our own way according to our
means and our vocations are called to radical discipleship.
The message of the Gospel is priceless, it
cannot be bought but only shared and given away. If we find ourselves filled with the desire
for success and wealth rather than some level of genuine service and sacrifice,
and a desire to grow in Christ, it might be good to pause and reassess our
values and priorities. For those who have much, much will be expected. If I really enjoy and pursue to be noticed
for my great charity towards others, I might want to ask myself, what am I
really supporting - my own ego or the cause I choose to point to? In short, we
are often more effective through our actions than we are with merely words.
So as the Christian journey continues in our
lives the daily walk of following the Lord expects us to focus on him, the
mission at hand and share from the abundance of God's mercy. The rest are details so don't worry. It's wise to be prepared not foolish as we
set out. But, to fret, worry, obsess and compulsively plan for everything, for
every possibility is to distract ourselves from the call to trust and faith. As
our Eucharist assembly ends, we hear: "Go in peace, glorifying the Lord
by your life."
We are sent to preach Christ crucified and
risen and in his name to do good for all.
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