To pack or not to pack

It was about January of February of this year that Mary and I began to pack in earnest for our Camino that would not start until June!  We spent hours and hours deciding what we would need and what we could do without as we planned what we would take with us on the Camino.  On the one hand, we would be gone for five weeks or so in a foreign country.  We would need lots of stuff.  What if we forgot something we really needed?  On the other hand, whatever we took, we’d be carrying on our backs for five weeks!  How much could we carry for so long?

We consulted books and blogs.  We talked with people who had done the Camino.  We bought lightweight this and lightweight that.  Who knew it was so expensive to pack lightly?   We meticulously weighed everything, adding this and subtracting to get that perfect balance.  But of course, it wasn’t perfect.  Up to the very day before we left, I was picking up a few last things.  Even then, we probably took too much and still didn’t have a few things that we could have used.

This morning, we hear how Jesus sends his disciples off on a mission that could also last for weeks and weeks. (Lk 9:1-6)  But Jesus knows his disciples well.  He knows that if they are left to their own devices, the disciples might never get started on the mission at all.  They'd have to store up some provisions, get some extra clothes, arrange for accommodations in the different villages and towns, and who knows when they'd feel ready to go.

Yet they already have everything they need, for God has not abandoned them.  He has sent them his Son, who empowers them and through whom they have received every spiritual blessing in the heavens.  Jesus insists to them that this is sufficient by commanding that they bring nothing on the trip – no money, no food, no extra clothes, and no plans for accommodations.  They respond to his faith in them with faith of their own...and they succeed beyond their wildest imaginings.

Every day, Jesus shows this same amazing faith in each one of us.  Every day, we are called to proclaim the good news of Jesus' coming.  Every day, we are called to cast out demons of doubt and anxiety with the confidence of salvation through Jesus.  Every day, we are called to anoint the sick with the love and compassion of Jesus.  Every day, we are called to cure the world's anger and injustice with the forgiveness and mercy of Jesus.  This is not a mission that will last weeks and weeks, it is mission that lasts for the rest of our lives.

So what is Jesus to think of me who takes months and months and months to pack for a mission of a few weeks?  How many years would it take to prepare for this life-long mission? 

Let’s see…I have to do some research.  I need to make a list of what I would need to be ready to proclaim God’s great love.  Maybe I’ll take a course of two to gain some more knowledge and confidence.  Of course, I’ll need time to store up some resources so I can afford to be as generous as I’d like.  I’ll probably never feel that I’ve packed enough, that I am ready enough.  But Jesus has empowered us and he insists his power is enough.  We need no more.  We are to begin the mission today and continue day after day after day.    

Although Jesus calls each of us to share his work, he does not call us to pack.  Jesus has already packed for us – and he has not forgotten a thing!