Today's gospel invites us to be less anxious about our baggage. As a matter of fact, the gospel makes it clear that some baggage needs to be lost! Jesus told his disciples that if they want to keep up with him then they need to travel light or get left behind! Forget your baggage, he says, for I will see that your needs are provided for.

Most of the time people are trying to make provisions for the "just in case" scenarios. After all, "you never know ..." It is this specifically, that Jesus takes issue with. You never know what? Whether God will provide? Or whether his promises are reliable? Or whether "all things work for good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28)?

In Jesus' plan, the message that his disciples were being sent to preach would not only be conveyed in words but especially by the faith and trust that people would see demonstrated in their lives. "These people actually walk like they are not alone; like God really walks with them!" Faith is not just taught but caught. We don't want to live our lives in such a way that the people we encounter are more likely to catch the flu from us than the faith!