Unload!

Ulysses S. Grant traveled light

The 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Today’s Readings: Amos 7:12-15; Ps 85; Eph 1:3-14; Mk 6:7-13 [Link]

It’s been quite an experience this week in Penfield watching the I & I farm show take shape: tons of people pounding in stakes, setting up tents and tables and booths and equipment, hauling in supplies… plus all the folks arriving from out of town who are camping out during the show.

As I watched all this activity—and reflected on our mass readings for this weekend—I had a mental image of the troops arriving for one of the battles of the Civil War. Maybe it’s because I went to the seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland, which is just 8 miles down the road from Gettysburg…

During the Civil War, you may remember that General Ulysses S. Grant was commander-in-chief of the Union Army. And of course, he later went on to serve as president of the United States for two terms.

I didn’t learn this until very recently, but Grant was apparently a real model of simplicity. In a biography of him, one of his cabinet members described what Grant was like as he left on one of his military campaigns.

In those days, the custom was for generals to get caught up in the trappings of their rank. Typically, they traveled with orderlies, a team of horses, servants, a great coat, plenty of clean clothes, and an assortment of other paraphernalia like books and maps and personal supplies of all kinds.

But not General Grant. He knew that everything in battle depended on being able to move quickly. It was crucial that he should be encumbered with as little baggage as possible. So on this particular 6-day campaign that his colleague wrote about, literally the only thing he brought along was his toothbrush. The biography said, “He fared like the commonest soldier in the command, partaking of his rations and sleeping on the ground with no covering except the canopy of heaven.”

General Grant traveled light—and so did Jesus and his apostles. The gospel today tells how Christ instructed the Twelve to take nothing for their journey but a walking stick: no food, no sack, no money in their belts.

Naturally, there’s a lesson in this for all of us. Jesus also wants us to be his apostles… to spread his message by our words and actions. And the fact of the matter is, we can do better if we are not weighed down with a lot of unimportant stuff that takes up our time, our attention and our money.

Sure, lots of the stuff that makes up our baggage is good, because it adds to our comfort and convenience, or because it helps us do our work better and faster.

But truthfully, many of the things we hang on to are actually extra baggage. They divert our time and our minds away from the important spiritual and intellectual work God would like from us.

Now of course, I’m not suggesting that we should all get rid of everything we possess and live like St. Francis of Assisi or the poorest beggar. Yet, if we do want to have the spirit of Christ, then we’ve got to be a little bit ruthless about getting rid of the unnecessary and superfluous excess baggage in our lives that weighs us down physically and spiritually.

When you get back home, you might have a look in your closets, your basement, your attic, your garage, your sheds, your cabinets, and see just how much gulch you have accumulated over the years. Do you really need 26 sweaters… or old pants in several different sizes… or attachments for the vacuum cleaner you don’t even own any more… or your collection of cooking or hunting magazines that dates back 20 years? Lots of us are “hoarders”—and we would do well to unload a bunch of it! Maybe you can give the usable stuff away and haul the rest to the dump.

Our house cleaning should go beyond just physical property and possessions. Also think about your time baggage. Do you clog up your days with too much TV or computer time… or anything else: sitting around drinking coffee… gossiping… shopping… playing video games… napping on the couch? Do you think you could better serve the Lord if you were to free up a few extra hours a week?

And finally, think about some of the emotional baggage that you carry around that consumes your energy. Are you still hauling around old hurts and grudges? Are you a worrier? Are you a nervous person… or a pessimist… or a perfectionist stuck in this far-from-perfect world? If you just relax a little and trust in God’s mercy and providence, I’ll bet you could trash a lot of those anxieties… and empower yourself to serve the Lord.

It’s awfully good to pause now and then—like today!—and remind ourselves that we are on a journey to heaven. When we leave this life, we’re going to leave behind our property here on earth. So the less baggage we drag around now, the more we can concentrate on the essentials… and the more time we can give to the spiritual dimension and the future that really matters.

Yes, our Lord traveled light in every sense, and he taught the apostles to do the same. Ulysses S. Grant learned that lesson, and it gave him success in battle. And we, too, should do the same, to build a life that is well-ordered and joyful. Pray today for this liberating grace in your own life!