Homily – 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

Travelling lightly

It is interesting to observe travellers and the way they deal with luggage.  I have recently made the journey to New York City, where my sister has been living for the past decade.  There is no direct flight.  You must stop at least once along the way.  Packing a bag for the long trip is always a challenge.  Leaving Australia in one season and arriving in another creates its own challenges.  Decisions have to be made about what to leave behind and what to take.  Airline companies assist in the decision making with limits on bag size and weight.  Cabin bags are further limited.  You must make decisions about what you cannot part with and what you are willing to entrust to the cargo hold!  Some passengers seem to find all sorts of ways to almost surgically attach pockets, pouches and various compartments to their bodies in order to increase the carry-on luggage.  I swear I saw one person fill almost six boxes full of possessions as they prepared for security, emptying boots, belts, handbags, carry-on bags, computer cases, pockets, socks and stockings.  It was a sight to see.

What always amazes me is the things that I pack and then never use.  I regularly come home and pack away things that seemed to just take up space in the suitcase and literally only went for the ride!

The gospel today is also about travellers.  This time, it is about those who were sent out by Jesus.  The twelve apostles, those who represent the twelve tribes of Israel, are sent out.  Like prophets of old they are sent to preach repentance.  Repentance is that word that appears again and again in the gospel.  It means a change of mind and heart.  The twelve are sent out to call Israel, and indeed anyone who will listen, to turn their hearts and minds to the freeing, forgiving and transforming power of the God of life, made visible in Christ Jesus.

And they are told to travel lightly.  They are to take nothing for the journey, no bread, no money.  This instruction is reminiscent of the journey that Moses led Israel on all those years ago.  They wandered through the desert with no bread provided.  They wore sandals that did not wear out (Deuteronomy 29:5).  The twelve would have been well aware of the journey on which Moses had led Israel, from slavery to freedom.  Jesus now invites them on a new journey.  The new freedom will be the new life of the resurrection offered to all.  They are to trust that God’s word and God’s promise will be enough.

We are called on that journey with the twelve as well.  Today we are called to trust in the word of God and the promises God has made.  In doing that we then maybe can let go of some of the baggage that we are carrying around with us.  Perhaps it is time to let go of the weight of revenge that we harbour.  It may be time to unpack the envy that we feel when we look at our friends or family.  It could be time to pack away the hurt that we have not been able to leave behind.  Perhaps we can let go of that burden of not believing that we are good enough, that we could be loved, that we are precious in the eyes of our God.  Perhaps we could let go of a few of the many things that we use to fill our empty stomachs, hearts and minds and instead, walk with and beside the God who breathes life into us and ‘fills the hungry with God things.’

While travelling generally requires us to pack a bag, the journey of faith often invites us to unpack that thing we carry around with us.  Faith is a journey of trust and the beginning of that journey is to step out, travel lightly and let the Lord of life guide the way.

By Fr Brendan Reed

Published: 12 July 2024