Imagine no Possessions

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.
He said to them,
“Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave.
Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you,
leave there and shake the dust off your feet
in testimony against them.”
So they went off and preached repentance.
The Twelve drove out many demons,
and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

On Sunday, July 15, we heard Mark’s gospel where Jesus sends His apostles out to teach.  Our priest, in his homily, said this is where His disciples became apostles.  The word disciple comes from a Latin word meaning learner.  Apostle is derived from a Greek word aposotolos, meaning one who is sent, or a messenger.  The Latin term would be missio, where we get the word missionary.

Interesting to me is the way Jesus sent his missionaries.  He told them to take nothing for the journey, no food, no sack, no money, no extra clothes.  They were to take only a walking stick, their sandals, and the clothes on their backs.  The homilist said this meant we should detach ourselves from material things that weigh us down or prevent us from focusing on our mission.  Travel light, in other words, so to be not encumbered by excess baggage.  Applying this passage to our current parish mission of evangelization, I think the message goes even deeper.

At the end of every Mass comes the dismissal.  We are invited to go forth.  When the Mass was in Latin, the priest said, “Ite, missa est.”  We are being sent forth as missionaries to spread the good news.  If you are like me, I walk out of Mass with this mission, but I go home and resume my normal daily routine.

Now, imagine what would happen if the priest is standing at the rear of the church greeting people as they prepare to leave, but acting in the person of Christ, he collects your car keys, your house keys, your cell phones, your wallets and purses.  Acting in the person of Christ, he gives you a walking stick, tells you to pair up with a partner and go spread the gospel.  Could you go home and resume your normal routines?  No!  You have no way of getting home unless you walk, and even then, you are locked out.  You have no food, no money for food or lodging.  What would you do?

I can envision all of us standing in front of the church dumbfounded.  Whoa!  What do we do now?  I have the clothes on my back and this stupid stick.  Now what?  It occurs to me that we would suddenly find ourselves completely dependent on those we are called upon to evangelize.   If we are to obtain food and shelter before nightfall, we will need to rely on the generosity of others.  Our mission suddenly becomes something we do not when convenient, but immediately out of necessity. 

Perhaps the apostles were equally shocked by Our Lord’s instruction.  Their sustenance was dependent on the success of their mission.  Humbled by their lack of possessions, they approached the community as faithful servants of God, able to share their message without pretense. 

The challenge for us is to approach our mission of evangelization with humility, as an immediate need rather than a waiting opportunity, despite the material possessions that make us so comfortable in our routine.