By Colleen O’Sullivan
Every
word of God is tested; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. (Proverbs
30:5)
Jesus
summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority over all demons and to
cure diseases, and he sent them to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal the
sick. He said to them, “Take nothing for
the journey, neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money, and let no
one take a second tunic.”
(Luke
9:1-3)
Piety
God is our refuge and our strength,
An ever-present help in distress.
(Psalm 46:2)
Study
One of my youngest friends just started preschool a couple of weeks
ago. The first morning, about mid-way
through, he informed the teacher that he is “not a fan of preschool.” The second morning, he cried the entire time
because, as he told me later that afternoon, he “didn’t want Mommy to go
home.” By the third morning, he had the
presence of mind to bring his mini-security blanket along, which saw him
through the day.
When I was a kid, I imagined that grown-ups always knew what they were
doing, were never afraid and certainly never needed anything like a security
blanket. As we are all aware, that
definitely is not the case. Many things
happen that leave us shaken, scared or feeling weak – the loss of a job, the
end of a marriage, the death of a loved one, health or financial problems, just
to name a few. We all need to find
security or refuge somewhere. A little
square of fabric doesn’t cut it when you’re an adult, but neither do some of
the other sources of comfort we turn to – accumulated wealth, the approval of
our friends, the seeming solace of food or drugs or alcohol.
I thought about this as I read today’s Gospel account of Jesus sending
the disciples out to proclaim the Kingdom and heal the sick. He tells them to take nothing at all with
them. Leave behind the possessions and
the money that are our usual crutches.
Being sent out on a mission would be anxiety-producing in and of itself,
but not taking along any of those feel-good props?
The disciples aren’t going out empty-handed, however. Neither are we, no matter where our journeys
take us. What we bring along doesn’t
weigh an ounce, yet is the most precious thing imaginable. In our hearts, we carry our relationship with
Jesus. And Jesus knows what it is to be
human, to face fear. He walks with us
every step of the way. He is the source
of our strength in facing the challenges of life. As the first reading from the Book of
Proverbs reminds us, God is our place of refuge, our ultimate source of
security.
Action
What is it that seems frightening or overwhelming
in your life today? To what or to whom
do you turn for shelter and strength?
Take a few minutes to share all this with the Lord in prayer.
No comments:
Post a Comment