Travelling Light for the Journey

“He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts.”(Mark 6:8). Jesus wanted his followers to travel light, as light as air, so that the way of God might be made clear to them. The excess “baggage” that we carry is often in the form of compulsions or desires that burden us with their need for attention. During Lent, we identify these compulsions and decide to gently let them go, as we would empty our bag of excess items that weigh us down. The compulsions we have can take many forms. It might be my compulsion to criticize constantly. Or to shrink in self-pity when I am confronted with my own inadequacies. It might be my compulsion to eat, or shop, or indulge myself when I am stressed. It might be my compulsion to work long hours, separating me from my family and my God in prayer. During Lent I choose a discipline that directly confronts one or two of these compulsions and, in doing so, I clearly take a stand for my Lord who walked through these same temptations before me, carried His Cross, and gave His life up totally on my behalf. Light as air, I will soon kneel with His mother, Mary, before the Cross. - - - Fr. Jim