We tend to clutter up our lives and carry a lot of extra baggage. You know, just in case. Because we are always tempted to think that we can succeed because of our efforts and our resources alone. It is hard for us to let go. It's really hard for us to trust God totally, to simply rely on a walking stick. Often we think that our faithfulness and our effectiveness as disciples is the result of our own prayers and good works. That's when we get into trouble. It is then that the dark moments of failure and weakness, of doubt and fear come. The walking stick can be a powerful image of the gift of faith and trust. We make our journey supported by this gift.
Jesus' preaching reflected his basic religious convictions. He believed that his understanding of God would be "good news" for people. He shared his convictions that this would be good news for the poor, that it would bring sight to those who were blind, bring freedom to those who were held captive and would set free those who were on the fringe and downtrodden.
This is the mission that the Twelve were sent to accomplish. But note that Jesus sends the twelve on their mission two by two. He does this for a reason. Not only do we need to place our trust in God, we also need to place our trust in one another. This is a job that we cannot accomplish alone. We need each other for support and protection. We are responsible not only for the Word of God, but for one another as well. This is an important fact for us to remember, especially in the politically-charged atmosphere in which we live today. If we are truly committed to Christ and the Good News we are sent to proclaim, perhaps a change in our patterns of living and thinking and an elimination of “excess baggage” will speak the message more clearly.
We need to constantly remember where Jesus was coming from, to reflect upon where we ourselves are coming from, and to place our complete trust in His promise.
We come together as a community of faith always conscious of our frailty, our infidelity, our selfishness and pride. We come as pilgrims and sinners. But we come as persons aware that we have been sealed with the Spirit, redeemed and forgiven by the blood of Christ.
The sending of apostles did not end when Jesus sent out the Twelve. What we need to realize right now is that we too have been sent out to preach, to be his prophets, his healers, his peacemakers. We too have been summoned to proclaim the reign of God in our midst, to act and to speak in the spirit of Jesus. The disciples travelled light, with only their faith and a walking stick. Can we?
