Posted by The WORD in other words (2018) by Frater Chichiro Mori SVD – Japan
Wednesday 25th Week in Ordinary Time
When I was a child, my mother said, “You cannot carry many things along with you, because they are heavy and bulky, but you can bring your knowledge with you wherever you go. Nobody can steal it. So you must study more, not only in school but also for life.”
Nowadays we are surrounded by many gadgets that can be very helpful and give us much pleasure. But I sometimes feel that these things hinder my growth as a human being because I have been dominated by them. When such things enslave us, we can forget what is really important in our lives.
Jesus sent his disciples on their mission, telling them not to take anything with them. He set them free from any obsession with material things. The disciples were given authority, power and wisdom so that their lives would be centered on Jesus rather than on possessions or belongings.
Our society is totally different from the society in which Jesus lived. We cannot manage without our possessions – food and clothes to live well; hobbies or pastimes to help us relax. But we should remember Jesus’ command to his disciples, “Take nothing for the journey…” Not that we should have no material possessions, but that we should limit these. Wisely used, material possessions can be good instruments for our mission.
May we always pray that God set us free from the temptation towards earthly things. Then, through prayer, our mission will come first in our minds.
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