Just A Sudsin' and Servin'

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Book of Mark 6:7-13

Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits. He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick— no food, no sack, no money in their belts. They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic.

A couple of months ago my dishwasher went out.  I thought to myself, "No problem.  I will hand wash the dishes like my grandmother used to back in the olden days!"  The first few weeks of hand washing didn't bother me too much.  Great exercise for my carpels and phalanges!  I only cook for one, so not too much mess.  Boy, was I wrong! I make messes like a kid baking cookies.

 As the weeks dredged on I found hand washing a boring, tedious chore.  I started allowing dirty dishes to sit overnight, and then found the dried-on food even tougher to remove. I felt like throwing a bottle of Dawn and some sponges at Mr. Clean telling him to shove the hand washing where the sun don't shine! Uh, I just don't have the patience or the time to mess with sudsin' and dryin'.  To make the situation worse, I bought an eco- friendly "organic" lavender and tea tree dish washing soap that smells great but works like my dead dishwasher.

Palmolive take me away.....

 All the time I spend scrubbing silverware and plates could be devoted to much more productive and interesting endeavors.  I've been definitely spoiled by kitchen conveniences! 

Right now I think of washing dishes by hand as a self-inflicted penance for all of times I've sinned.  Every dish I scrub while wearing my over-sized rubber gloves, I say to Our Lord: "Here is a cleaned dish for the gossip I spewed out the other day.  Here is a knife and a fork for cussing at the pokey driver on the road.  Here is a squeaky clean skillet pan for the time I thought so snarly about someone I could literally whack him over the head with a cast iron skillet!"  Uh oh!  Scrub a dub, dub...Work those rubber gloves a little harder, Jennifer!

In the gospel reading for today, Jesus set his twelve disciples "loose" on their own for the first time.  He advises them to bring nothing along except for walking stick and a pair of sandals. Parallel this with washing dishes with only a sponge and a pair of rubber gloves.  Not a whole lot to work with.  

The Apostles will quickly discover an important part of following Christ involves living simply with an attitude of worldly poverty.  They will rely on the charity of others to provide for their needs.  Food, water, clothing, and shelter will be uncertain.  Some people will be kind while others brutal.  Some will listen to the good news and convert whereas others will lash out and condemn. 

Serving others in a ministerial capacity is a tough job and involves risks as well as rewards.  I think of times when the Apostles went without a meal or a place to sleep because someone found their message blasphemous.  However, they kept journeying along from town to town, spreading the good news despite all the obstacles!

-J.

P.S Off with the rubber gloves and "on" with shiny new dishwasher over Labor Day weekend.....