Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time B
“My parents are sending me to summer camp,” said one boy to another.
“Why?”
asked the second. “Do you need a
vacation?”
“No,”
answered the first. “They do.”
Fr.
Scott and I were in the car the other day
when
we heard part of a radio program
discussing
the American tradition
of sending
kids off to summer camp.
Even
if you never went to camp yourself,
I’m
sure you have some notion of the annual routine
of youngsters
heading into the woods for a week (or two or three)
of
swimming and campfires and fast friendships.
I
myself am heading to Camp Guggenheim later today
to
spend the week there as chaplain.
But
where did this idea come from? How
did it start?
The
radio show began with a brief discussion
of
the history of summer camping here in the U.S..
It
seems it goes back to the late 19th century.
Even
long before there were telephones, televisions, or the Internet,
people
had great anxieties about the modern age
and
where the world was going.
As
cities grew rapidly,
there
was also a growing sense
that
urban life was not as healthy as life in the country—
and
that men, therefore, were getting soft.
And
so boys were taken camping,
to
get away from their mothers and modern entertainments.
If
they were going to develop into good leaders,
they
would need some toughening up.
Eventually,
summer camp was extended to girls, too,
and
not reserved for children of the upper classes.
Many
of the rituals still found at summer camp today
go
all the way back to those early days.
not
only of my coming week at Guggenheim,
but
about the gospel passage we hear this Sunday.
Maybe
Jesus is doing for his Apostles
what
summer camp was first intended to do:
maybe
he’s trying to toughen them up.
And,
in this modern age,
a
bit anxious about where the world is going,
maybe
that’s just what we need, too.
They’re
odd instructions Jesus gives the Twelve, are they not?
To
head out on a critical mission,
but
take none of the usual gear required for the journey?
It
can sound like he’s setting them up to fail…
…but
Jesus is actually giving them the recipe for success.
I
think Jesus sends out his Apostles—and likewise, sends us out—
essentially
empty-handed for two very good reasons.
The
first is so that we won’t have any crutches to lean on.
The
tools we use to spread the Gospel
may
have gotten more high-tech these days,
but
the effect is still the same:
we
can get so distracted by the instruments
that
we forget our real purpose in using them
and depend too heavily on them to prop us up.
and depend too heavily on them to prop us up.
I’ve
seen many articles and books
on
how to use the Internet most effectively as a Christian…
…but
I have yet to meet anyone who’s actually been converted
by
a posting on Facebook.
We
can easily hide behind our technology.
We
can even more easily take our faith for granted.
Staying
in shape—spiritually, just as it does physically—
requires
regular exercise.
Take
the health of your soul for granted
and,
soon enough, it starts to get soft.
Jesus
demands that we rely, not on gimmicks or gadgets,
but
on him alone.
Purposefully going without,
withdrawing from our usual occupations,
withdrawing from our usual occupations,
can
toughen us up and do us some good.
We
must trust that God will provide everything we need.
Besides,
what will really grab people’s attention
is not
a person’s fancy provisions,
but
when somebody practices what they preach,
when they love not only in word but in fact,
when they love not only in word but in fact,
when
they’re willing to put themselves on the line for what they believe.
A
second reason Jesus sends us empty-handed
to announce his Gospel of repentance and salvation
to announce his Gospel of repentance and salvation
is
to strip away our excuses.
Jesus
can dispatch the Twelve without the obvious equipment
because
he’s already equipped them with everything they need.
And
so, too, has Jesus done for you and me.
When
people—decent-living, church-going people—
are
challenged to step up and step out for their faith in Jesus,
a
million excuses begin to pile up:
“Well,
I don’t have a degree in theology.”
“You
know, I’m not a very good public speaker.”
“Hey,
everybody knows my past. I’ll just
look like a big hypocrite!”
In
claiming such things, we actually deny our faith,
showing
that we do not believe—as repeated by St. Paul—
that
God “has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing,”
chosen
us for his purpose, given us a place in his plan,
destined
us to exist “for the praise of his glory.”
An
old saying puts it well:
“God
does not call the qualified; he qualifies those he has called.”
but
not a guarantee of accomplishment.
God’s
word is always effective—
but
it’s not always the effect we’d hoped for.
Rejection
is to be expected and, when it comes,
we
are to shake it off as so much dust from our feet.
Yet
what we have been promised is a share
in the final victory:
the
ultimate triumph of good over evil, of life over death.
Are
you ready to set aside your crutches, your props?
Ready
to drop your excuses?
Let’s empty our bags, and head with the Apostles to summer camp.
Let’s empty our bags, and head with the Apostles to summer camp.
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