‘Taking nothing for the journey’ is a leap of faith

The Clarion Herald celebrated “The Gift of Priesthood” in a special section that included columns by priests and bishops across the state of Louisiana. Here is a reflection from Alexandria Bishop Robert Marshall. 

By Most Rev. Robert Marshall
Bishop of Alexandria

In St. Luke’s Gospel, we are told that Jesus sent the Twelve to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He gave them this simple instruction: “Take nothing for the journey, neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money, and let no one take a second tunic” (Luke 9:3).

In the 21 years since my ordination to the priesthood, I have packed and unpacked my belongings at least eight times. I wish I could say that the process has gotten easier, that I have managed to carry with me fewer boxes each time. Unfortunately, I seem to have acquired more stuff with each stop along the way. Unlike the Lord’s instruction to the Twelve, I find that I am taking everything for the journey.

Particularly in this last move, I hear the Lord’s words as a twofold challenge. I do need to live a simpler lifestyle – more dependent upon God, less dependent on the “stuff” that I have accumulated. I have carried with me so many books, so many notes, so many bits and pieces of things that I have presumed will help me in the next parish, if not in this one. 

And now that I am no longer a “parish priest” but a shepherd of 13 civil parishes, the chances of me needing any or all of those items has become even more remote. More importantly, if I carry with me everything that I will need, then I will not be open to receiving the blessings that the Lord has for me here in Central Louisiana.  

Looking back on my priesthood to date, I can see that I have been blessed and challenged in each assignment along the way. I have come to know wonderful disciples and been inspired by their lives of faith. I have been privileged to walk with them in good times and in bad, delicately treading with them the holy ground of their lives.

I take with me those memories, those lessons, those encounters with the Lord through the witness of so many brothers and sisters. To carry these experiences, these blessings with me, I need no boxes or packing tape or moving trucks – only a heart open to Jesus Christ. That is the challenge of discipleship, and particularly the challenge of priesthood – to be open to the Lord.

Our temptation is to assume that we have found the Lord and that we need to hold on and to protect this great treasure, often by surrounding him with the sheer volume of our accumulated belongings. Instead, open hands and an open heart remind us to be grateful for all of the blessings that we have received and to be watchful and ready to be overwhelmed by the love and mercy of God in our next encounter with the Lord. 

Bishop Robert W. Marshall Jr. was appointed Bishop of Alexandria on April 21, 2020.