15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) 2021
INTRO: The fights we had!!!
Oh boy when we were kids the FIGHTS WE HAD!!! And you have all witnessed it I am sure with your own children …. Maybe yourselves, too? Crazy yelling or screaming maybe even some rough housing …. AND …. IT WAS always over something SILLY!
But for ME, I would be MAD and sometimes HURT, CARRYING RESENTMENT! And my fight always ended with,
“And I am NOT TALKING TO YOU AGAIN until you apologize”
(Even when it was my fault!!!)
Shame on me!
Can you believe that? I carried that anger from the fight and just could not let it GO!
Believe me I am better at it now …… Somehow, I learned to
SHAKE THE DUST OFF OF MY FEET!
Isn’t that the oddest comment and what does it really mean?
Jesus is so smart to say this as we develop into being His followers.
Here the APOSTLES are preaching to everyone, going around telling everyone about Jesus, the Messiah and SOME people DO NOT LIKE IT, DO NOT WELCOME THEM, or just DO NOT WANT TO HEAR IT.
In their enthusiasm and strong fidelity to JESUS OF NAZARETH, the Messiah, they could easily get mad at these people. Jesus saw it coming! You know what it is like inside you when people do not want to listen to you, your ideas, or buy into what your beliefs are!!
But Jesus LOVES and prepares the Apostles for this often eventuality.
Teaching them TO SHAKE THE DUST OFF THEIR FEET is, likewise, teaching us! Jesus does not want us holding in resentments and anger with anyone, allowing such to live “rent free” in our minds. So, shake the dust off.
In other words, do not let any speck of dust remain with you or do not let any spec of anger, resentment, hurt remain with you. Allow others to be themselves. LOVE THEM but leave them behind going to others next.
CONCLUSION
Remember, you and I cannot control others, but you and I can control ourselves!
Most of you know my father had Alzheimer’s disease. We children, his caretakers were taught right away:
“GO WITH HIM ON HIS JOURNEY!”
In other words, love all and let people who disagree with you be what they want to be and move on.
“Shake the dust from your feet and move on!”