He 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 6:7-9 NABRE)
Jesus required of his apostles a total dependence on God for food and shelter.*
This should challenge us today. While we are out in the world doing the work of Jesus, do we rely on God, or do we rely on Visa? We are so deeply conditioned in our society to believe in our own abilities and the sometimes-too-easily-accessed resources of our instant-gratification culture that we either minimize God's role in our daily work or forget him completely. We have flipped over the model of life and mission which Jesus asked his apostles to follow.
We are not all called to live by taking nothing for our journey; but we are, I believe, called to take what we need, to remember that God is our provider, and to rely on his sufficient care. We are called to set aside the extravagant excesses of this world and remember we are merely passing through this life, looking forward to the next.
Today, I will spend some time thinking about where I might let go of wasteful excess in my day.
Saint Joseph of Leonissa, whose life challenges us to face life courageously and get to the heart of it: life with God, pray for us.
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