Shake If Off | September 23, 2015

September 23, 2015

If you really knew me you would know that I am an over packer. I over pack for every trip or vacation I go on and I over pack 7-10 days in advance so that I can change my mind back and forth on a daily basis about all the essential items that I am going to haul with me and realistically it gives me the opportunity to buy a bigger suitcase if I need it. My thinking is completely logical I mean what if the weather is unpredictable and I am not prepared? What if I’m not in the mood for just those 5 outfits? Surely I need to bring every kind of toiletry underneath my bathroom sink just in case. I’m pretty sure the places I am going do not have every kind of store known to man where I can just purchase the things that I need right? And let me tell you shoes are freaking heavy, because obviously, if there are multiple outfits in tow, there absolutely MUST be matching shoes for each of those outfits in tow. Duh. I inherited this sickness from my parents who are also over packers, except sometimes they pack more than 10 days in advance, I’m just sayin’. All my coordinating outfits are washed, folded neatly, and assembled ahead of time and serve as some sort of beacon of light at the end of the tunnel for me because I’m just so excited to go away! I’m sure each one of you is the exact same way, right?? Alright, I know it’s excessive, but let me just tell you that the times where I have attempted to bring just the bare essentials, things have happened: coffee spill on my ONLY pair of white pants, torrential rain when I ONLY packed sandals, and one time I had to wear black flip-flops when I was wearing a brown belt (YIKES!!). In my mind, I am obviously someone who takes the time and effort to prepare for things. This seems so spiritually sound and wise I can’t even get over myself. I’m organized, meticulous, and without a doubt a far superior traveler than most people.

Today’s gospel is kind of a nightmare for me. It is Luke’s version of when Jesus sent the twelve out on a mission trip. In my mind, this is Jesus’ version of the “free” internship that virtually every college kid must endure. It’s time for the Apostles to get their feet wet, experience the real world, and learn the ropes of preaching, healing, and yes, being rejected. Jesus commissions them in the beginning of this reading by giving them the power and authority to drive out demons and to heal the sick. Guess what friends, we receive this same authority at our Baptism and those gifts are shaken and stirred at Confirmation. How cool is that? The “free” part of this internship is that they must travel free of stuff (insert Jen’s nightmare here). “Take nothing for the journey, neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money, and let no one take a second tunic.” Are you kidding me, Jesus? At least in Mark’s version of the story, as Deacon Rick Melrose pointed out to me, Jesus let them take a walking stick to maybe lean on, or fight off lions and tigers and bears, or to match their shoes, but in this account, zip, nada, nothing. So what’s up with this?

Jesus wanted the Apostles and he wants us to focus on the Word, the Message, and the Name of Christ. Stuff only gets in the way of relying on that power and authority. If I need to reach into my bag to find my lip-gloss instead of tending to the soul right in front of me, I have missed an opportunity to share the Living Word, I have missed an opportunity to bring Jesus into someone’s life. I hope that makes sense. I know all my frivolous talk about my over packing might seem off topic, but I think it does demonstrate what Jesus is trying to teach the Apostles and us. Be free. Free to roam about the cabin, free of things that weigh us down, free of distractions, free of having stuff in our hands so we can use those empty hands to heal others.

Next thing Jesus tells them is, “Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there. And as for those who do not welcome you, when you leave that town, shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them.” There is no “if” in this sentence. There will be those that do not welcome us, and there will be those that do not welcome Christ. Jesus tells us that it’s OK to shake it off (YES, insert Taylor Swift song here!!! Because the haters gonna hate, hate, hate!! Come on, I could NOT resist that one). He doesn’t tell us to have words with them, or to post passive aggressive tweets against them, or to say anything at all. Just leave there and shake it off. This seems like some sort of apostolic super power doesn’t it? Don’t say ANYTHING, just shake it off and leave???? I don’t know which is more challenging for me, to PACK nothing or to SAY nothing!!! I have a lot of work to do in both areas for sure. The Apostles did well in their internship it seems, “Then they set out and went from village to village proclaiming the good news and curing diseases everywhere.”

Let’s make every effort to be free today. Carrying a bunch of useless stuff around with us only weighs us down and takes our minds off the good news. Let’s remember the power and authority that is found in the Name of Jesus, and let’s just shake it off when we are not welcomed. I want to tell you the rest of the story regarding my over packing issue. I do admit to being an over packer in the past, however, my extensive traveling experiences have taught me to become an efficient packer and to only bring what is actually necessary. I have been rehabilitated and because of that, I have been able to travel with more freedom, to focus on what is truly important, and to trust that all will be well even when my shoes don’t match. These lessons translate into the spiritual life as well, don’t they? Now if I can just figure out how to shake it off more often, I might just finish my internship.

Memorial of Saint Pius of Pietrelcina, Priest
Lectionary: 451

Reading 1 EZR 9:5-9

At the time of the evening sacrifice, I, Ezra, rose in my wretchedness,
and with cloak and mantle torn I fell on my knees,
stretching out my hands to the LORD, my God.

I said: “My God, I am too ashamed and confounded to raise my face to you,
O my God, for our wicked deeds are heaped up above our heads
and our guilt reaches up to heaven.
From the time of our fathers even to this day
great has been our guilt,
and for our wicked deeds we have been delivered up,
we and our kings and our priests,
to the will of the kings of foreign lands,
to the sword, to captivity, to pillage, and to disgrace,
as is the case today.

“And now, but a short time ago, mercy came to us from the LORD, our God,
who left us a remnant and gave us a stake in his holy place;
thus our God has brightened our eyes
and given us relief in our servitude.
For slaves we are, but in our servitude our God has not abandoned us;
rather, he has turned the good will
of the kings of Persia toward us.
Thus he has given us new life
to raise again the house of our God and restore its ruins,
and has granted us a fence in Judah and Jerusalem.”

Responsorial Psalm TOBIT 13:2, 3-4A, 4BEFGHN, 7-8

R. (1b) Blessed be God, who lives for ever.
He scourges and then has mercy;
he casts down to the depths of the nether world,
and he brings up from the great abyss.
No one can escape his hand.
R. Blessed be God, who lives for ever.
Praise him, you children of Israel, before the Gentiles,
for though he has scattered you among them,
he has shown you his greatness even there.
R. Blessed be God, who lives for ever.
So now consider what he has done for you,
and praise him with full voice.
Bless the Lord of righteousness,
and exalt the King of ages.
R. Blessed be God, who lives for ever.
In the land of my exile I praise him
and show his power and majesty to a sinful nation.
R. Blessed be God, who lives for ever.
Bless the Lord, all you his chosen ones,
and may all of you praise his majesty.
Celebrate days of gladness, and give him praise.
R. Blessed be God, who lives for ever.

Alleluia MK 1:15

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Kingdom of God is at hand;
repent and believe in the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel LK 9:1-6

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.
Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there.
And as for those who do not welcome you,
when you leave that town,
shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them.”
Then they set out and went from village to village
proclaiming the good news and curing diseases everywhere.