Am 7:12-15, Eph. 1:3-14, Mk 6:7-13
On a wall in Dawa’s house in Nepal was a multi-decade testimonial collection of T-shaped sticks from his years accompanying and porting for trekkers in the Himalayas. Seemingly simple sticks were respite tools to secure in the ground, back up against and ease down the packs, but not let go of the heavy burdens. His well-worn sticks are markers of moments in his life’s journey with climbers from across the globe, of treacherous moments, and surprising encounters with nature.
“Take nothing for the journey but a walking stick” the disciples were told. For balance? Protection? To ease fatigue? As a test for safe footing? Courage for next steps? A stick, sandals, a travel companion, vast unknowing, and the echo of Jesus’ summons and sending. What was asked of the fledgling disciples? No food or extra clothing, nothing for barter, or gifts to offer in gratitude. Imagine one hand clasping the walking stick and the other so humbly open and empty. The disciples had a mission: to offer freedom from fears and demonic oppression, healing and hope. All these they learned from Jesus. But what happened along the way? What transformations may have come from thresholds crossed and timeless staying with others? Was anointing with oil mutual, for the tired feet of disciples and those newly met with depleted bodies and wilted spirits? Sharing vulnerabilities can uncover precious common ground, so necessary in God’s mission of learning love.
During a short stay in Haiti, I went with a Maryknoll Sister to visit her Kenyan friend who made prosthetic limbs at a hospital in Port au Prince. He lived and worked in an old bullet riddled shipping container on top of a hospital building. Access to the container was a steep climb up rickety metal stairs. I wondered how a physically challenged person could possibly manage the challenging stairs. And then I watched through my tears at the power of possibility with shared belief! How did this compassionate disciple end up in Haiti with such skills needed in the aftermath of natural disasters and continual violence in the country? It was his Christian vocation that kept evolving, he said. God was with him, someone saw his potential, provided training, and the cries of needy ones resounded and touched him. He knew he was called. How many thresholds does he continue to cross, staying with each wounded one to gain trust and stir hope for new possibilities of navigating life?
It is likely that Amos had a shepherd’s staff. Perhaps that familiar stick rested against the trunks of the trees as he balanced in the branches to tend fruit. So well prepared in attentive patience and watchfulness was Amos that God called him beyond his self-description. Amos was to pay attention to the lives of others, letting them know God pays attention and wants just and fullness of life for them, too. When do we find ourselves called beyond familiar identities, often of what we do or what we did? How do we respond to invitations to cross new thresholds in complex relationships and understandings? “Off with you!” said Amaziah. What sounded like banishment was opportunity for Amos to continue as witness and prophet!
Think of those who move about with walking sticks, crutches, tapping sticks, canes, and the arm of another. Perhaps you use one yourself? What witness is offered to healing of trauma, hope in migrant journeys, the courage to engage diseases, as a reminder that exploration and perceptions are not limited to eyesight alone, to slow down, be attentive, balance and take risks. What helps any of us move into new territory with trust and that we are continually summoned and sent by God? I often think that God asks complicated and hard things of us to be a witness and prophet and disciple. A walking stick seems too simple yet may well be the wisdom of God to encourage the next steps of faith.
Maryknoll Sister Janet Hockman, a trained spiritual director, served in the Marshall Islands and in Nepal, offering counseling and leading retreats and prayer groups. She also worked in Haiti and Chicago and in vocation ministry for the Maryknoll Sisters.
To read other Scripture reflections published by the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, click here.
Featured image: Elderly people sit in a public area of Boudha in the city of Kathmandu, Nepal, with one of them accompanied by a walking stick. (Paul Masson/Nepal)
