14 February 2023
Memorial of Saints Cyril, Monk, and Methodius, Bishop
The Gospel passage for the Memorial of Sts. Cyril and Methodius provides us with some very important reminders about the essence of discipleship and mission. When Jesus sends the disciples out in pairs, he gives them some very curious instructions. He explicitly tells them that he is sending them out “like lambs among wolves”. They are to take no money, no supplies, no provisions whatsoever. Usually, when one prepares for a journey (especially a journey in which one is likely to encounter unpredictable circumstances), one tries to look ahead and foresee and preemptively predict what one will need so as to pack accordingly. In this passage, Jesus tells his disciples to do the exact opposite. He deliberately instructs them to go without any resources or logistical planning. Why would He do this?
A key reminder for us in this passage is that it emphasizes the importance of total reliance on God. Consider the species of radical trust that Jesus is asking of the disciples. He’s asking them to go out to strange places and live with strange people and to intentionally travel in a way that prevents them from being self-sufficient. I would posit that the idea of traveling like that would probably make many of us very uncomfortable. We want to know what’s going to happen. We want to have confirmations booked weeks ahead of time. We want certainty, and really, at the root of it, we want control.
I would not for a moment suggest that it is a bad thing to be good stewards of our time and other resources. Taking care of our temporal gifts through prudent planning is undoubtedly important. What’s also important, however, is the consideration of just how much we allow ourselves to be vulnerable and thereby allow God adequate room to work in our daily lives. How often do we ask Him what He wants for our day? How often do we pray about our daily or weekly itineraries? Are we willing to live in the tension of uncertain situations knowing that God cannot fail to provide for us? Or do we always have to know? Do we feel like we always have to be in control? The invitation to complete and total trust that Jesus enjoins on the disciples is one that He also enjoins on us each day as well as He invites us to surrender our cares, worries, and anxieties to his loving, omnipotent providence.