“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.”
Let go of the things that weigh you down.
Practically, traveling light can allow us to go faster and farther. As you read this, I am somewhere in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness in Colorado on a backpacking trip for seven days in the backcountry. While backpacking, every ounce matters for what is essential and what is not. Jesus may have wanted his disciples to go out far and wide, streamlined for the most efficient travel possible, because the mission is what mattered the most. Unnecessary things, like a second tunic, or a fresh change of clothes everyday on the trail, can slow us down and get us stuck. Just go. Get out there. Go!
In our culture, one of those things that is reinforced in us over and over again is self reliance. We learn early and often that we should be able to take care of ourselves. Nobody’s going to do it for you. Just think about what many of us say when we get older, “I don’t want to be a burden on my family.” While it may come from a place of love for our family, really? That’s exactly what our families are for: to love and care for each other when we need it the most. Jesus’s prohibition to take no food, no sack, and no money ensured that the disciples couldn’t do the mission on their own. They needed to depend on others. So do we. Our parish family is here to love and care for each other when we need it the most. We journey together.
This is a little more subtle, but Jesus may have also intended through the prohibition of many things that the disciples needed to interact more with people. They needed to have meals with others and stay in their houses. In short, they needed to build relationships. In God’s image, we are made for relationships and God’s mission for us isn’t about programs or projects, but about the relationships and people that undergird those things. We are all about people. Our journey is all about relationships. We need others and sometimes our things can get in the way of authentic relationships. Just think about our families so often in the same space, but each on their own smart phone. Jesus may very well have sent out his disciples with the command, “No social media, no Google Maps, and no iPhones.” Yes, I have all of these, too. They can be great tools, but sometimes we should let them go to focus on the person in front of us. People are what matter most to God and, truly, to each of us. We go for others.
While many women and men in religious vocations take a vow of poverty, where they intentionally share all things in community and don’t have their own possessions, diocesan priests, like me and Fr. Adam, make a promise of simplicity of life. We have our own private property or possessions, but we are called to hold them lightly. Things can be used for the mission that God has given us, enjoyed for their beauty or goodness, or used for our true benefit, but they cannot be where we place our heart. That belongs to God and his people. God and his people are the things that last forever, where our true happiness and destiny lie. It is true for all of us. We go together, we go for others, we go with God, and we go to God. Now let go and let’s go!