I
really like today’s Gospel from Matthew about Jesus telling his apostles to
take on their journey as they go out as missionaries to the world. He
tells them to not take too many material possessions with them, as this will
weigh them down and make them too dependent on the things of this world. He
wants them dependent on God alone. The
apostles are to offer a greeting of peace to each household, yet if they are
not welcomed there, they are to shake the dust from their feet and move ahead
on their journey. In a
lot of cultures, hospitality is so important, of welcoming the stranger and the
visitor into one’s household. Jesus
expected that same hospitality for the missionaries he sent out into the world
with his Good News.
There
a lot of things we carry with us on our journey. Some
of them are physical things, while others are the psychological or spiritual or
emotional things that we carry with us. Those
things can either help us or hinder us on our journey. We
can turn to those things for security and comfort rather than the values of our
faith. We
may all need to get rid of those things that are burdening us on our journey,
just like dumping those unnecessary things out of a heavy backpack so that the
load is not too have. Not
only are priests and deacons and consecrated members of religious orders called
to live in Gospel simplicity: all of us as Christian disciples are called to live
a life of Gospel simplicity and Gospel values according to our station and
responsibilities in life. Mother
Teresa of Calcutta once said: “I do own things but they do not own me.” All of us should have such an attitude in
life.
So, how
are we proclaiming God’s kingdom in our lives? And what
is keeping us from proclaiming his kingdom?
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