Jesus went around to the villages in the vicinity teaching. He summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two... (Mark 6:6-7)

When Jesus sent the Twelve to proclaim the kingdom of God, he gave them specific instructions. "Take nothing for the journey but a walking stick. No food, no sack, no money, not even a second tunic." Jesus wanted the men to be completely reliant on their Heavenly Father. His instructions were literal, but they were figurative as well, not only for the Twelve but also for us.

The Lord urges us to travel with a light, unburdened heart, leaning on him as one would a walking stick. To do that, we must discard all that is not important for the journey, beginning with material possessions that fail to simplify our lives or those that distract us from the spiritual aspect of our journey.

The Lord also calls us to leave behind the tattered sacks in which we carry regrets about the past, worries about the future, and attitudes in the present that are unproductive, ungracious or uncharitable.

And finally, the Lord instructed us to discard our second tunic, the cloak of self-reliance. Without dependence on him, how can we possibly stand strong against the crosswinds on our journey?