"Take Nothing for the Journey"
"Take Nothing for the Journey"
September 27th Readings Reflection: Memorial of Saint Vincent de Paul, Priest
Today’s Gospel recounts how Jesus sent out His Twelve Apostles to “proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick.” Jesus told the Apostles to take no food or money with them on the journey, something that may seem surprising to our modern ears. However, St. Cyril of Alexandria explained that travelling with few earthly possessions served two purposes for the Apostles: firstly, it eliminated the distractions of earthly goods and secondly, it reminded them that they must rely completely on God for their wellbeing.
The saints often spoke about this radical, total dependance upon God. In the modern world, we are used to being reliant upon earthly things, such as technology. Today’s Gospel reading can be a harsh reminder that we must remain detached from all earthly things, even those upon which we rely for our daily lives. I am reminded of the beautiful passage in St. Matthew’s Gospel: “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they labour not, neither do they spin. But I say to you, that not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed as one of these. And if the grass of the field, which is today, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, God doth so clothe: how much more you, O ye of little faith?” (Mat 6:28-30 DRB).
God has given us our intellects and skills with which to glorify Him. Part of the way in which we do this is by discovering and developing new tools and methods that make our daily lives easier. These things, such as modern technology, are not in themselves bad; theologians would describe them as morally neutral. The goodness or badness of such things lies in the ways we choose to utilize them. We can choose to use the gift of modern technology in a way that glorifies God, or we can abuse this gift and use it as a means of committing sin.
Even such things as food, shelter, and clothing can become distractions to us when we give them priority over God in our lives. These things are all necessary for our survival, but we must view them as a means to an end rather than the end itself. As human beings, the end of our existence is the attainment of eternal life. We must always bear this in mind as we utilize created things, so that we may use them in a way that leads us closer to God. “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatsoever else you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor 10:31).
The mystical sense of taking nothing for the journey is to shed all of our attachments to things by casting all of our care on God. When we are anxious for nothing by casting all of our care on Him, there is nothing left to carry, and He can replace our care with His presence which contains His peace and strength.
I was thinking and worrying recently about the state of our nation, our Church and the right to publicly worship and state of the world and life. And the thought came to me that if I, my family and all around me lost everything even the right to worship openly what would it matter, because in the words of St Catherine or St Teresa (I often get confused on which one said what), but as one of them said, " those who God posses want for nothing; God alone suffices". When we have God,we have no worries! So lets see if I can actually live this?!