15h Sunday in Ordinary Time

Gospel – Mark 6:7-13

Packing for the Journey

The Two of Us

Let’s be very clear about this!  I HATE packing for a journey!  Truth be told, I simply amass my pile of clothes and then leave it to Ginger to figure out how to fold, pack and probably cram it all into a suitcase. 

But not this time!

After 40 years of living in our Chicago home, it’s time to pack it all up and move to our new home in Tennessee.  40 years of papers, books, yearbooks, teaching notes and birthday cards, 40 years of accumulated ‘stuff’!  40 years of memories!  And for a lot of reasons and circumstances, the job falls to me! 

So how to proceed?  Basically, I’m creating 3 piles:  keep, trash or donate!  And how do I decide?  Easy!  Do we use it?  Will we ever use it?  Can someone else use it?  I admit that I have been quite heartless and brutal in the whittling-down process, but I think it’s important to stay focused on what lies ahead.  You can’t really move forward in life if you hang on too much to the past!

In this chapter of Mark, Jesus prepares to send His Apostles off to spread the Word.  He gives them their marching orders – all those do’s and don’ts.  Don’t bring any extra clothing, no money, no food, no sack, no extra pair of sandals, just a walking stick.  Go out and cure the sick, raise the dead, drive out demons.  And wherever you go, always greet people with a sign of peace.  And if people will not accept the Word, then just move on and continue the mission. 

Notice that His first instructions revolve around what not to bring.  The intention is clear.  Simplify your life and your possessions.  Don’t get distracted by all the enticements of the world!  Focus only on what you really need, on what is really important!  Don’t worry so much about clothing or money or comfort.  Keep your eyes on the mission, on God!  And God will take care of the rest!

We all have our journeys to prepare for.  Maybe it’s a quick trip to a restful weekend on the lake.  Maybe it’s that pilgrimage to the Holy Land or a quiet evening on the deck watching the sun set.  And maybe it’s that one journey we all need to prepare for – that journey of faith, like the Apostles in today’s Gospel.

The question for us is this – what are you packing for the journey?  What are your essentials, your must-haves?  But remember that space is limited!  So, just as importantly, what are you leaving behind?  What are the things you have to let go of in order to make this journey of faith productive and spiritually meaningful?  How will you simplify your lives and your possessions in order to focus on the Mission? 

 

 

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