Homily Notes: 14th Sunday of Ordinary Time/ “Take Something with you On the Way”
14th Sunday of Ordinary Time/ “Take Something with you On the Way”
Being a disciple of Jesus is a challenge. If we consider it easy, we are probably not too serious about our Christian vocation. We need God’s grace to be a good Christian. But we probably need something else.
In the 1970’s two men represented what it meant to be a person who really have it together. One was the Marlboro Man. The Marlboro man was one of the most successful add campaigns ever devised. The Marlboro Man was, of course a cowboy who lived on the open plains. He was everything that a man wanted to be. He was tough, independent, hardworking, resourceful. He was handsome, strong, rugged. We could imagine him traveling through life on horseback in wide open places. If he did not like where he was working, he would probably just pack his saddle bags to move on. He did not seem to need anybody other than his horse. He was always pictured in beautiful terrain. He also always had a cigarette in his mouth. If you smoked Marlboros it implied, you had the same kind of qualities that the iconic cowboy had. More people smoked Marlboros than any other cigarette.
The other person that represented fierce independence in the 1970’s was James Bond, 007. He was another person who ventured out by himself to stem the tide of communism by his work as a special agent. Whenever he got himself into a tight spot, he got out of it with his brains, his mastery of technology, his sports car, his brawn. He could defeat a whole room full of villains who were trying to kill him with his martial arts ability. James Bond could charm any woman he ever met. Almost every man wanted to be like him.
The Marlboro Man and James Bond had something in common, even though the lived-in different times and places. The two men did not need anyone else to achieve what they wanted in life.
When we read about the first disciples of Jesus, if we don’t listen carefully, it might sound like his disciples are supposed to be like a combination of the Marlboro cowboy and James Bond. Jesus sends them out and he seems to say, you need nothing as you go on your way. He says you need, no money, no bag, no sandals, do not greet anyone along the way.
If you people don’t accept the message, don’t worry, just shake the dust from your feet. Move to the next place. The subtle message is that you don’t need anything, except God.
But is that true? Are disciples to be like the Marlboro Man, like 007? If we look closely at the gospel Jesus did want the apostles to take one thing along for the journey which is a traveling companion, someone who had the same goals. We can’t help, but remember, the words from the Book of Genesis 2:18. “It is not good for the man to be alone.”
When I was a young man, I worked at a summer camp. We did not have a nice clean swimming pool; we swam in a lake where you could not see the bottom. For that reason, it was dangerous. When the children got in the water, we would have them all pair up with a buddy. The idea was, that nobody should ever swim alone.
Every fifteen minutes or so the lifeguard would blow a whistle. Every child was to get with their buddy, holding their arms in the air. If you were not near the person you buddied up with, you were in trouble. Safety came from having a swimming partner.
We could say that is the way it is with being a disciple of Jesus Christ. If we try to be a serious disciple of Jesus Christ, we can’t do it alone. We need others to walk with through life to support us. We need others to hold us accountable if we try to take short cuts in Christian living.
Perhaps that is why less, and less people are Christian in our society. A lot of people believe that it is virtuous to go it alone. The myth of the Marlboro man and James Bond has not died out. No, it has grown stronger. Less people live in committed relationships whether that commitment is to one person or to a group. 21st century people are taught that all we need in life are virtual relationships, not flesh and blood ones. As a consequence, many people are drowning in a sea of meaninglessness. What is the answer? The answer is to live as Jesus taught.
Jesus came to the world to bind us to God, but just as importantly to bind us to each other. Life experience shows us that if we feel like we have connections to other people there is a sense of wellbeing that comes from being loved and loving. Christian friendship is a treasure. When we lose such friend, we feel it. I lost such a friend this past week in Fr. Bresnahan. He challenged me to live like the Lord. He affirmed me when I needed it. We may not need a cell phone. We may not need a sports car. We don’t need a big retirement account. We may not need a condo to live in. But we do need relationships like we need food, water and air. We need to invest there. For the wisdom of God still holds. “It is not good for anyone to feel alone.” Christian living is about living for others. When we apply this truth to our life we are living like disciples of Jesus.