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Rev.
Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.
TAKE
NOTHING FOR THE JOURNEY
The
way things are going in our world today, we need to think twice about
our faith as Christians, and whether we are actually ready to live out our faith in
the midst of a hostile environment. Because the hostility, persecution and influential power of things in this world are not stopping soon, rather, it is
getting tougher. Therefore, if we are really willing to live out our Christian
faith and obligations towards the mission of Christ, then we need to make a
radical decision towards our discipleship in a personal and radical way.
This
is what Jesus is teaching his disciples in our Gospel passage today, when he
called the Twelve together and gave them power and authority over all devils
and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and
to heal. He said to them, ‘Take nothing for the journey: neither staff, nor
haversack, nor bread, nor money; and let none of you take a spare tunic.
Whatever house you enter, stay there; and when you leave, let it be from there.
As for those who do not welcome you, when you leave their town shake the dust
from your feet as a sign to them.’
Here,
Jesus does not directly intend to cause tensions and divisions but he wants to
expose the sacrificial nature of the mission. Hence, Jesus demands a total
commitment towards the journey of discipleship once begun or has not begun at all. Because following Jesus demands the sacrifice of all that we have. For
none of us can become his disciple if we do not give up our excess desire for
worldly pleasures and possessions.
We must
learn to pay our unreserved loyalty and allegiance to Jesus over all other
competing loyalties in our lives including family, self-interest, and
possessions, just like Ezra in our first reading who addressing the situation
of his people said: My God, I am ashamed, I blush to lift my face to you, my
God. For our crimes have increased until they are higher than our heads, and
our sin has piled up to heaven. But now, suddenly, the Lord our God by his
favour has left us a remnant and granted us a refuge in his holy place.
Dear
friends, we are called today to make a radical decision to sincerely and
faithfully carry out the mission of Christ entrusted to us. But how much are we willing to let go for the
sake of the mission of Christ? Why are we finding it difficult to follow
Jesus? What are the habitual desires and
possessions that are holding us for making this radical decision today? It is
time for us to let them go in order to focus more on the mission Christ has
entrusted to us.
Therefore,
let us follow the examples of all those who had given their time, effort and
even lives for the salvation of many souls just like St. Vincent De Paul whose
memorial we celebrate today for he sacrificed his life to help the poor and
through the virtue of charity conquered most of his oppositions and those of
the poor around him.
LET US
PRAY: Heavenly Father, today we are called to a sacrificial journey of Christ's mission. Because our excess desire for the pleasurable things of this passing
world has weakened our hearts towards our mission, give us courage and grace
to let go of our ugly desires, so as to hold firm in our faith despite losing
people and things that are dear to us. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen. Do have a fruitful day.
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