Wednesday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time

Wednesday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time

Lk 9:1-6

Rely more on God than on what we have.

One question I’ve always wondered about is what Jesus meant when He said, “Take nothing for the journey—not a walking stick, a sack, food, or money, and don’t take an extra tunic.”

I believe Jesus wants us to depend more on God than on our own resources. From my experience, the more I rely on my own abilities, the less effective my ministry becomes. When I think I can handle everything on my own, things usually don’t go well.

However, when I step back and trust in God, everything improves. Letting go of unnecessary things in ministry has made us more effective. In short, Jesus should be at the center of our efforts to share the Gospel, not ourselves. We are called to do God’s work, not our own. That’s why we need to rely more on God than on what we have.

After World War I, a young French priest was sent to lead a parish. With his suitcase in hand, he bravely set out to share the Gospel. When he arrived, he found chaos—the church was damaged from the war.

Determined to help, the priest worked with his parishioners to rebuild the church, and soon it was beautifully restored. After that, he focused on strengthening the spiritual life of the community, and he succeeded.

Everything was going smoothly for the parish until he suddenly fell ill and faced his last days. As people gathered around his deathbed, he spoke to them:

"I am happy because I followed the three pieces of advice my father gave me when I became a priest: First when you die, don’t owe anyone anything. Second, leave this world without any money. Third, when you leave this world, do not sin against God." after speaking those words to the people around him, he died peacefully.

At the end of our lives, the only things we can take with us are what belong to God. Let’s let go of what is unnecessary in this life so we can embrace what truly matters for the life to come. What belongs to God can be an act of kindness we have done, a smile towards people we do not like, or a loving act.

May we rely on God more than ourselves.

May God bless us all.