Matthew 10:7-15; Thursday in Week 14 of Ordinary Time

Good morning. As everyone knows, I am on Sabbatical for a few months after ending my seven-year ministry in the Diocese of Kalookan and preparing for my new ministry as a chaplain in the Philippine General Hospital. One of my plans for my Sabbatical is to walk the Camino de Santiago in Spain. One of my dreams as a Jesuit is to walk 200 kilometers from any town in Spain to Santiago de Compostela.

As part of my preparation, I watched many documentaries on the Camino de Santiago walk. One documentary instructed pilgrims not to bring more than 10 percent of their body weight in backpacks. Accordingly, this is the only weight a pilgrim could carry as he navigates the long journey towards Santiago de Compostela. A pilgrim shared, “Similarly, in life’s journey, only 10 percent of the things we possess are necessary as pilgrims. The ninety percent only complicates our life, as we move daily towards our ultimate and final destiny … heaven. The invitation is to ask ourselves, what are the things I am carrying now? Are they really needed? Where do I spend most of my time, talents, and treasure? What are the absolute essentials and non-essentials? Saint Ignatius of Loyola invites us to do our daily examen to check our lives and see our valid and inordinate attachments. For St. Ignatius, anything that could block us from doing God’s will is an inordinate attachment.

In our gospel today, before Jesus sent his disciples to preach the good news of God, he reminded them of their mission: “Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons.” He instructed them not to bring anything that would make their mission heavy: “Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts; no sack for the journey, or a second tunic, or sandals, or walking stick.” For Jesus, the mission is what matters most. Thus, he invited the disciples to be aware of any worldly worries and cares to distract them from the mission.

We are human beings. We are naturally attached to anything, including wealth, talents, people, knowledge, or anything else. There’s nothing wrong with these things—they are graces of God. But if these things become the center of our lives, they become an inordinate attachment. Discerning what matters most in our lives is essential so that we can respond immediately to the needs of others, especially the poorest, neglected, and abandoned.

It is not easy for me to leave my ministry in Caloocan. After working for more than seven years there, I was totally attached to the place and its people. I wish to stay longer to continue serving the poor, but I am a missionary. I need to move to my next mission, where there is a greater need. The spirit of detachment, humility, and trust in God is essential to be ready wherever I go. Again, what matters most is the mission, and not the other things that may distract or delay me from doing God’s will.

All of us, Jesuits or non-Jesuits, are invited to adopt the spirit of indifference. We are on our daily pilgrimage with one destination: following the will of God. Today, when many things are offered to make our lives easy and comfortable, we should thank God for these blessings. But when God calls us to leave our comfort zones and do something life-defining, everything should become secondary. For we are pilgrims of hope. As the gospel says today, we should bring peace to every house and every person we meet. This is our mission. This is our identity.

They say, the shortest morning prayer and most pleasing to God goes this way … “Lord, what’s next?”

---