by Rev. Leonard N. Peterson
The Twelve hear the message of Jesus and are sent forth to preach the Good News. His instructions are a checklist for missionaries that includes how to react to hospitality and its opposite.
“Travel light” is the watchword when you pack not only for a summertime trip but also for any trip any time. For a lot of us, including me, there is always a looming temptation to pack for the unknown event, as well as for the known. Airlines demand that we adhere to weight restrictions. Railroad baggage cars are less strict, but they still have their own rules. Our SUVs permit more luggage than a sedan trunk does, but there are limits.
This weekend’s Gospel from St. Mark finds Our Lord Jesus providing a travel checklist for His first missionary disciples. After all, they depended on what their backs and bare feet could bear. Our Lord even included a strategy for handling hospitality or its opposite.
I believe that traveling light is a good way to ply the task of being Christ’s missionaries. There are imaginary travel restrictions here as well. If, for example, we unwittingly were to pack an immature faith that we never nourished after our elementary school religious education, we could do harm to our message. When so much good information is out there, including the Catholic Catechism and many other sources, misinformation is criminal if not sinful.
Take for example, how you have educated yourself about car insurance or buying a house. Your knowledge of the faith should have kept up if you are to be a knowledgeable Catholic prepared to answer questions from inquiring outsiders.
One obstacle we need to overcome. That’s when we let the devil convince us that we’re not worthy to be Christ’s partners in spreading the Gospel. Or allow him to convince us that we have too much baggage for making our faith journey.
Notice how Amos proclaims that he was chosen for his prophetic task. So does the first and best missionary St. Paul about his being chosen to be full of love. We need to remember that when we start packing.
Of course, packing without a plan can also be a problem. Once upon a time a man named Tom set off on a globetrotting adventure across five countries. He was too busy daydreaming about exotic destinations to remember the most basic essentials. Lo and behold, he arrived at his first destination only to realize he had forgotten his trusty toothbrush. In a desperate attempt to find a replacement, he ended up using everything from his finger to a twig that he found by a riverbank.
God love you and let Him help you pack.