Do You Overpack?

~~~Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time~~~

~~~Amos 7:12-15~~~Psalm 85~~~

~~~Ephesians 1:3-10~~~Mark 6:7-13~~~

 ...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. 

I believe that our airlines have taken 

these verses a little too literally.

When it comes to luggage;

 it seems there is an additional fee for all luggage.

Some carriers are even charging for carry on.

As general rule we all tend to pack more than we need for a trip.

I know we are guilty of taking too much.

Even though I try to downsize my packing,

it just seems to multiple more and more.

I begin to rationalize about this or that item of clothing.

I begin the 'what if' game with myself.

What if...I spill my soup on my skirt?

What if...I sit on a dirty chair?

What if...the weather changes?

We want to be prepared for any 

situation that may arise

so we over pack. 

...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. 

I don't think we could ever travel without money.

Knowing that an ATM machine is readily available 

helps ease the stress of running out of cash.

Jesus did instruct the apostles to wear sandals.

It is the custom in many cultures to remove your shoes

 when entering the home.

Wearing sandals makes it much easier to remove them.

You can quickly slip you feet right out of sandals.

Of course there are many health benefits

 in keeping your bare skin away from the ground.

The apostles were walking many miles each day.

They were walking across the countryside

 along with horses and donkeys.

Allowing sandals was taking care of their health.

Everything prescribed by Jesus

was to make the journey more efficient.

Jesus did not want them to be preoccupied 

with what they might need on their journey.

Jesus wanted them to trust him and 

to rely on his care for them.

The message is the same for you today.

You do not need to carry with you a stuffed suitcase.

Jesus is all you need, along with your sandals and walking stick.

Jesus goes so far as to instruct us to even shake the dust from our feet.

Sandals do allow dust from the road to accumulate on the feet.

There is to be nothing to keep you 

from proclaiming the good news of salvation.

Blessed to be free from extra baggage.

All you need is love.

~~~Peace~~~

When are You a Christian?

Memorial of Saint Barnabas, Apostle

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 11:21B-26; 13:1-3 ~~~ 

~~~ Psalm 98 ~~~ Matthew 10:7-13 ~~~

 ...it was in Antioch that the disciples

were first called Christians.

Those who came to believe the teachings of Jesus 

came to be known as Christians.

It took many years before they were known

 by who and what they believed.

Being called a Christian is more than just a label.

Christians are not just tagged as a believer.

Being named a Christian must be earned and recognized

by the manner in which one lives their life.

Being called a Christian is not about going

 through the prescribed rituals.

Being worthy of being called a Christian

is a direct reflection of how one lives their life.

The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.

Here is our commission...

We, as Christians, are to reveal Christ to others.

If we want to called Christians then our words 

and actions must be one with those of Christ.

We can pretend for only so long,

for eventually our actions will give us away.

It is through our actions and words that others 

come to know us as Christians.

Jesus instructs his disciples to take nothing

 with them for their journey,

because they were to be 

living examples of his message.

If we want to be called Christians

 then we must live in the same manner.

There should never be any question

 as to whether or not we are Christians.

If someone asks you if you are a Christian

 then you should be embarrassed.

Either they do not know you

or your actions are in contradiction

 to those who are Christian.

Two different songs come to mind here...

They will know we are Christians by our love,

and Live like you believe.

To live like you are a Christian

 is not just for when you come to church.

To live like you are a Christian means

to be the face of Jesus every day, everywhere, 

in every situation.

Is this an easy task?

For me the answer is No.

It is not always easy to consistently live like Jesus.

Is the grace of God visible 

to others when they come into your world?

One reason those of Antioch were called Christians

is because God's grace was visible.

I invite you to pause,

examine your actions and words.

Are they of God's grace?

Do they set you apart as a Christian?

When you make God's grace visible

you are Blessed.

There is no need to carry anything else with you.

May the peace of Christ

be with you.

Take Nothing for the Journey

~~~ Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr ~~~ 

~~~ Hebrews 12:18-19, 21-24 ~~~ Psalm 48 ~~~ Mark 6:7-13 ~~~

...take nothing for the journey... 

Jesus sent out the disciples to spread 

the good news...to heal and teach.

He did not want them to be concerned with their stuff.

He wanted them to rely completely

 on what he knew was in their hearts.

He wanted them to believe in themselves 

because he believed in them.

Do you believe in yourself?

Do others believe more in you than you believe in yourself?

These few words resonate with me right now

 for a very different reason.

Being at the bedside of my dying father in law,

 you came to know what it means on a different 

level to take nothing for the journey.

When you are dying you soon come to accept 

that you make the journey alone;

 there is nothing material you can take with you.

Jesus wanted the disciples to cling to what they had learned from him.

Their material belongs would be distractions...burdens.

When you are dying it is the love, care and compassion

 that you feel in your heart that matters...nothing else.

Actually it is a beautiful thing to take nothing for the journey.

To trust that whatever you need God will provide.

There is a certain amount of freedom 

if you can leave everything behind.

Jesus also told the disciples 

...shake the dust off your feet...

This is also true when you are dying...

whatever issues you may have had

 with others you must lay to rest.

When you are dying 

the Kingdom of God is at hand for you.

Blessings come to us in all situations;

even in keeping vigil beside the dying loved one's bed.

~~~Peace~~~

The Benefit of Nothing

~~~ Proverbs 30:5-9 ~~~ Psalm 119 ~~~ Luke 9:1-6 ~~~

Take nothing for the journey,
neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money,
and let no one take a second tunic.

These last twenty-four months I have been traveling nearly every week.
At first I was packing a suitcase, a carry on bag, and my purse.
I pack a couple bottles of water.
Often I would pack a lunch to eat along the way.

After my suitcase was stolen from the bus I had to rethink
what I really needed to carry with me.
Now I only carry one small backpack, water,
and peanut butter crackers.
Take nothing for the journey...
I had to learn that the hard way...
by having the things I valued disappear.

I do not carry a walking stick but I do faithfully carry my umbrella.
Sometimes I need it for cover from the rain, but sometimes
 it is the only shade near by.

I no longer carry a suitcase full of clothes.

It is hard to imagine the disciples leaving for their journey with nothing.
Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.

They had no need for anything except the words
 they had absorbed from Jesus.

The men were commissioned to make a journey...
to take action on his behalf.
Jesus did not say watch me. He did not say to follow him
simply just for the action of walking beside him.

Jesus expected his little chosen band of men
to do something with their calling.

He sends them out with nothing but the knowledge
and faith that they were ready to tell others
what they had come to believe.

He is calling us to do the same...go out and tell the good news.
We have the responsibility to acquire as much
knowledge as possible about our God.
Reading the Bible, contemplating on his words,
receiving the Sacraments
these are some of the ways we can
better prepare ourselves for his calling.

...shake the dust from your feet in testimony...

Do not be discouraged thinking that you do not have
enough knowledge or that you will say the wrong thing.

Do not let any rejection penetrate into your mind, heart, or soul.

The journey is about continuing to move forward.
The journey is not ever about giving up.
Rejection gives us the opportunity to start afresh.

The journey for Jesus has no hidden agendas.
The journey for Jesus has no need for
outside support, such as a walking stick.
The journey we are on for and with Jesus is pure and simple...
take nothing for the journey.

Blessed with each step we take on the path he illuminates.
There is no benefit in even carrying forth
 the dust on our tired worn feet.

~~~Peace~~~

The First Missionaries

~~1 Kings 2:1-4, 10-12~~(Psalm)1 Chronicles 29:10, 11ab, 11d-12a, 12bcd~~Mark 6:7-13~~

The day of commissioning has arrived for the Apostles.
Jesus summoned them and sent them out two by two,
and gave them authority.
Jesus conferred upon the Apostles some of his
personal authority and abilities.
He made them like himself in many ways.

Now they too could preach, cast out demons,
anoint the sick, cure and heal them.
They were sent out in different directions
with only a few simple items.
When did they practice?
How did Jesus teach them the manner in which
 they were to go about these new things?
Were they afraid?
How did they even believe they could
cast out demons or cure the sick?
Did they physically feel any different?
Did Jesus take them on little side trips and coach
them on how to cast out a demon?
So many questions...

Was it just possible that once he sent them out they
also received the necessary faith they needed?

The Apostles had to have faith, not only in Jesus, but in themselves.
You must believe in yourself or you cannot do such great things.

He sent them away with nothing.
 He did not want them to be distracted with 'their' things.
He wanted them to rely on his ability to work through them.
For all of the things he commissioned them to do
he had himself been carrying out in their presence.

He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick
–no food, no sack, no money in their belts.

Why were they allowed to take a 'walking stick'?

The Walking Stick

In a previous post here I wrote specifically about the walking stick.
I invite you to click on the link above to reach that post.

The closer we are to God the better prepared
we will be to be one of his missionaries.

The twelve apostles had listened and watched Jesus
every day for days, weeks, months and years.

They only needed his blessing to release them to go forth
preaching and healing.

You now have his blessing to go forth.

The closer you get to him the more ready
 you will be when the time comes.

Peace.

Kick Off the Dust

~~~ Proverbs 30: 5-9 ~~~ Psalm 119 ~~~ Luke 9:1-6 ~~~

 

"...shake the dust from your feet..."

 

This is a great visual that I can relate to a few things in my life.

We tend to carry our extra baggage within ourselves for a long time.

Mostly it is emotional hurts or misunderstandings that we just cannot let go of.

 

What if, as on the airlines, you had to pay a price for

carrying around this extra baggage?

What if you were limited to just how much

you could carry in your heart?

 

Well guess what, you are paying a price;

it is a price with no monetary value so it may go unnoticed.

You pay the price with a heaviness in your heart that just won't go away.

 

After some time of carrying this extra baggage you may also become physically ill.

 

Did you ever watch a duck dunking itself in a pond?

It dives in head first and then pops up.

The water runs right off its back as if it were not even in the water.

 

Thus the origin of the saying 'like water off a duck's back'.

 

Sometimes I wish it were that simple to let go of offenses.

 

Kicking the dust from your feet is something that will need to be done

many times through out this journey we call life.

 

Luke also writes about taking nothing for the journey...nothing material.

 

The psalmist sings...

"...thy word is a lamp to my feet."

 

If we keep our eyes on Jesus and keep his word alive

within our heart and soul;

we will manage to kick off the dust.

 

IF we allow the 'dust' to accumulate on our feet we risk

becoming distracted from the real goal.

The real goal here is too walk with the Lord...

to spread his good news.

 

 

This rich image of feet causes me to also reflect on the feet of Jesus.

Everywhere he went, other than the times he was in a boat, Jesus was walking.

His feet too became 'dusty', but he never let it deter him from his mission.

 

I am reminded of a song titled How Beautiful by Twila Paris

The lyrics speak of the hands and feet of Jesus.

He walked along the lone dusty road to Calvary.

 

He kicked off the dust through the mercy he graciously extends to us.

What better image of forgiveness than to 'kick off the dust'?

Once the dust is kicked off it falls back to the ground...

it is no longer part of our 'baggage'.

 

Next time you want to react to a hurt or a wrongdoing

'kick off the dust'

and let it fall to the ground.

 

Kicking off the dust is equivalent to Forgiveness.

 

How beautiful the feet that walked the dusty roads to the cross.

Take nothing but the words of the Lord.

He will provide all that you need for the journey.

God Bless you and Keep you.

Carry His Peace Within

~~~ Hosea 11: 1-4, 8c-9 ~~~ Psalm 80 ~~~ Matthew 10: 7-15 ~~~

The Hosea reading sounds like a parent completely filled with love

for their child; yet greatly disappointed.

A loving parent would tell their child no matter what you do,

we will still love you. As your mother or father

I was there to teach you how to walk,

to comfort you when you stumbled and fell.

I was there to care for you when you were sick.

God, as our parent, has this immense overwhelming unconditional love for us

much greater than human love.

Just as any parent would want to protect

their child God wants no harm to fall upon us.

He gives us all that we need in order to keep healthy in spirit

and free from emotional pain.

The psalmist implores the Lord with song to

"...Take care of this vine,
and protect what your right hand has planted,
the son of man whom you yourself made strong...."

The psalmist is appealing to the Lord;

  confident in the love he still feels for us, his children.

If you acknowledge God does care for you then you have nothing to fear.

As you journey, all will be well if you proceed about your

daily activities relying on the care from the Lord.

He basically says if you have me there is nothing else you will need.

"...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...."

  

If you intend to share the care and compassion of the Lord

you must carry the gift of peace with you.

The peace given to you by the Lord is what you must take with you

as you move among others in your community.

"...As you enter a house, wish it peace..." 

When you carry the peace of the Lord within it is automatically spread

out to those around you. If you practice holding peace in the present moment

 you will experience a calmer life.

You will experience what it means to love like Christ.

This peace I give. My peace I give to you.

Jesus is generous with his peace.

Try seeing peace as a color you send out to others.

Who knows peace could be the color green.

What color is peace to you?