July 12th, 2015 - The Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

"He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick - no food, no sack, no money in their belts. They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic." - Mark 6:8-9

If you were packing for a trip, what would you include? Pants, shirts, and shoes? Outerwear and underwear? Your toothbrush and other toiletries? Your phone, computer, and their accompanying chargers?

Many of us live in a world where we have so much. It's hard to travel lightly, but that is exactly what Jesus demanded from his disciples. Why? Because in the end God is really all we need. In the end, only Love remains while all else passes away.

Material possessions are not inherently bad, but they can never fully satisfy or sustain us. Only God can do that. Thus, Jesus called His followers to practice a radical form of detachment from worldly things so that they could foster a deeper relationship with God and greater trust in His almighty Providence.

Contrary to our immediate inclinations, detachment such as this is in fact quite freeing. More often than not, we do not truly possess our clothes, toys, tools, and devices - they possess us. We base our worth on what we wear or what kind of car we drive, instead of the fact that we are children of God. We distract ourselves with incessant social media statuses, 24/7 newsfeeds, and YouTube videos rather than using our phones and computers to truly communicate with those whom we love.

To paraphrase Pope Saint John Paul II, true freedom entails having the ability to do what we ought to do. This is only possible through detachment from disordered or excessive affections toward worldly goods. The person who can limit himself to only one piece of chocolate is far freer than the person who cannot control his appetite and indulges in an entire bag of chocolates.

In the same way, the truly free person can willingly let go of everything for the sake of growing closer to God. As someone who leads retreats for high school students, it's interesting to see how much more difficult it has become for teens to be without their phones for even a couple days. Adults, myself included, are not much better.

As such, it seems like time for a wake-up call. I think we would be wise to heed the words of Saint Josemaria Escriva:

If riches abound, set not your hearts upon them. Strive, rather, to use them generously - and, if necessary, heroically. Be poor of spirit.

Heavenly Father, teach us to be poor in spirit so that Your Kingdom may reign in our hearts. We ask this in the name of Your Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.