Word to the Wise
Thursday, February 4, 2016 - Thursday in the 4th Week in Ordinary Time
[1 Kgs 2:1-4, 10-12 and Mark 6:7-13]Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits. 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.....[Mark]
I have to admit that when I hit the road for my itinerant preaching events, I might feel a bit uneasy about all the "stuff" I carry in the back of my station wagon after reading this passage of Jesus' commission to the Twelve. I pay special attention to my medications and my devices/chargers! Those who know me well would also recognize that I do carry a walking stick. Part of the original inspiration for the Order of Preachers (Dominicans) was this very spare and lean style of itinerant preaching. They were to beg for their daily bread and shelter. This lifestyle would be a preaching before they said anything about repentance or drove out demons or healed the sick.
The fundamental idea is not to allow anything unnecessary to impede the mission. Itinerancy (except for business) is not the ordinary thing for most of us. Even immigrants are looking for a place to stay put. But with the rapid approach of Lent (next week!) we might take a look at all our "stuff" and see what might be weighing us down in our efforts to bear witness to repentance and healing. Pope Francis' new book, THE NAME OF GOD IS MERCY, would be a good place to start for reviewing our priorities in bearing witness to the gospel. "Itinerancy in place" can happen when we open ourselves to new preaching opportunities and reach out to people whom we have never spoken to before. Jesus' commission to the Twelve became ours at baptism. AMEN
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