St. Mark in today’s Gospel puts us in the huddle you might say as Jesus calls the most important play of the game which is our lives. He instructs His team to go out to continue the Good Works that He has started. His game plan would be questioned today, because it seems that He is leaving His team defenseless (one pair of sandals, one tunic, a cane, and nothing else).
Well if His team lacked the trust and faith (which many have today) in Him, they would consider the plan doomed right from the start.
As I started to put myself in the disciples’ shoes, I started to doubt if I could be a follower. As I started to relive my past, I ended up thinking of my childhood. My family had very little. We lived in a one room apartment which had no running water, no electricity, and no heat. I had a one set of clothes for everyday wear and luckily had one for Sundays and special occasions. I remember a close knit community where people helped each other. You served others and in turn they would help you.
Life was simple an I remember that church was an integral part of our day. I was fortunate to have the church across the street from the end of the small in what they now call a cul-de-sac where I lived. The church doors were always open and I could easily hear the beautiful sounds of singing and praying wafting up my street. The church bells would chime at different times of day as a sign to take a moment to pray. You had no excess baggage to carry and that made it easier to focus on the Lord.
Maybe that’s why Jesus instructed his disciples to travel light. I know that whenever I went on a business trip the thing I dreaded most was carrying the baggage. I always seemed to pack more than I needed for my trip. I was probably more concerned about looking good than focusing on the reason for the trip.
There are many tangents that this reading takes me on but one that I find calling out to me now is one of shedding. I realize that many animals shed their fur at various times of the year and their new coat is shinier and healthier. My shedding as a Christian is not only getting rid of all the excess material things that get in the way but also a shedding of the fronts that some of us put up in dealing with others.
I’ve found that as I encounter people and bare my soul and try my best to serve, I’m rewarded seven fold of what I have given. It’s taken me a long time to truly trust in the Lord. Am I all the way there? No, but as I’ve mentioned before I take courage in starting a new day fresh. If I’ve fallen, I turn to the Lord and ask for His helping hand.
Shedding also means to simplify. When I worked for the Postal Service, I occasionally had to write instructions for some new process. One of my mentors had always mentioned to remember the acronym K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid) whenever I wrote something. The Lord’s message and instructions to His disciples (us) is very simple to follow. Maybe that’s why some of us get hung up. I’ll always remember the following quote from Gandhi, “Live simple, so others can simply live.”
Saint Francis of Assisi twelve hundred years later, realized what he had to do to follow in Christ’s path. Forming his own religion, he too had followers. Thomas of Celano, his biographer, tells how St. Francis gathered his followers together and sent them out in pairs to teach and preach the word of the Lord. Prior to their departure he would embrace them and say, “Cast thy thought upon the Lord, and he will nourish you.”
What more do we need?
Amen
No comments:
Post a Comment