“Travelling Light”
In
today’s gospel Jesus gives his disciples some challenging instructions before
sending them out to the towns and villages he intended to visit. He tells them
“Go on your way; behold I am sending you
like lambs among the wolves. Carry no money bags, no sack, no sandals; and
greet no one along the way”. It’s no wonder “the laborers are few!” And yet, surprisingly, 72 responded to the
call; 72 brave souls willing to venture out into the world; relying upon
nothing but God’s goodness to take care of all their needs.
What
a test of faith. Imagine these disciples starting out on a journey with no
money, no carry-on, nothing but the clothes they were wearing. Sounds
unrealistic, doesn’t it? But that’s the urgency that Jesus gave to his ministry
– announcing the Good News that the Kingdom of God was at hand. People longed
to hear this message and Jesus was eager to spread hope and show visible proof
that the reign of God had dawned on earth. Nothing was more important, so no
need to waste time with the things of this world…money, baggage, and extra
clothes. God will take care of everything. God will provide; He always does.
Just
recently I met a woman who came to Florida from Pennsylvania to be with her
dying sister. When she got the call that her sister was ill, she packed her bag
and, through the kindness of a friend, was able to get an airline ticket. She
had $50 in her pocket, and no credit card. For 9 days and nights she sat by her
sister’s side, never leaving. Staff from the hospice facility brought her food
that they provided from their own generosity; the funeral director made all the
arrangements to provide cremation services and transportation of the cremains to
Pennsylvania. No bill was rendered. A hotel room was provided for the evening
before her return flight back to Pennsylvania. In other words, all this woman’s
needs were provided for by total
strangers!. What is truly amazing is that this lady did not ask for a
thing. She sat by her sister’s side and waited patiently for her life to
pass.
This
simple person left her home placing her trust in God…. Some would say this was
pure foolishness. I stand in awe. What great faith!
In
the Old Testament most people lived in pure poverty, struggling to obtain the
meager necessities of life. They are referred to as the “anawim” of God. They trusted in God for everything; They placed
all their hope in God. We all could learn from them and from these first eager
co-workers of Jesus. How? By ourselves trusting in God more and relying upon
our possessions less; trusting in God’s divine providence and care and knowing
he is always by our side, especially when things seem to be at their worst, at
that proverbial “darkest hour”. What a wonderful world it would be if we could
dedicate our lives to doing God’s bidding as we go about our day-to-day
activities. Giving food and drink to those who hunger and thirst, being aware
of someone’s needs and responding to them, listening to a stranger tell their
story, spending time in a convalescent home or hospice. This sensitivity to the
needs of those around us and our willingness to help as best we can
enables us to be instruments of God’s love, mercy, and compassion. Yes, we
would have reasons to rejoice and be glad for all the good things we could do
in Jesus’ name, if, and it’s a big if, we choose to abandon all earthly
vestiges of power and go about our daily business with the only things that really mattered,
the Mind, the Heart, and the Love of
Jesus, our Lord.
Enjoy
the day!
Deacon Tom
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