Episode Transcript
[00:00:07] Welcome. It's April 19th, the third Sunday of Easter.
[00:00:23] 40 years ago, a drought affecting the Sea of Galilee uncovered a treasure that continues to inspire pilgrims today.
[00:00:31] In 1986, two brothers were exploring the shoreline near the ancient Jewish city of Magdala. They noticed iron nails sticking out of the mud, so they dug.
[00:00:43] As they did, the outline of an ancient wooden boat slowly emerged. They called in archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities authority, and after two weeks, archaeologists unearthed the wooden object.
[00:00:58] A well preserved 2000 year old fishing boat.
[00:01:03] There's no evidence the Jesus boat, as it's now called, is the same one Jesus and his disciples used.
[00:01:11] But the 27 foot flat bottomed fishing boat is much like the ones mentioned in the Gospels that Jesus used throughout his ministry.
[00:01:21] Built with cedar planks, oak frames and other wood, the boat could be used in shallow waters close to shore.
[00:01:29] Archaeologists also discovered a cooking pot and an oil lamp near the boat, suggesting a nighttime voyage like the one in the Gospel story of Jesus walking on the water in John and calming the storm in Luke, Matthew and Mark.
[00:01:48] Many believe a divine sign appeared at the start of the excavation.
[00:01:52] After months of drought, rain began to fall and in the sky was a double rainbow.
[00:01:59] It took years of careful work to properly conserve the boat since its timber had deteriorated.
[00:02:06] Today, the Jesus boat is on display at the Eigal Ellon Center, a museum in Kibbutz genosar, Israel.
[00:02:16] Since 2000, the Jesus boat has attracted thousands of Christian pilgrims and history buffs.
[00:02:31] Let's turn our attention to today's homily entitled as you go travel light.
[00:02:47] In the Gospels, Jesus tells his apostles to travel light.
[00:02:52] That's a good idea.
[00:02:54] Life is too short to be weighed down with excess baggage.
[00:02:58] The reason for traveling light isn't because material things are evil. It'd be wrong to think that I'm supposed to tiptoe through the world and avoid the contamination of material things.
[00:03:11] A religion that believes in a God who became flesh and blood, a religion that believes in the resurrection cannot have a negative attitude towards material things.
[00:03:23] I'm not called to have a pious discomfort with the goods of creation.
[00:03:27] I'm meant to make use of them for my needs, growth and joy.
[00:03:38] Then why travel light?
[00:03:40] Because accumulating things can get in the way of my relationship with people.
[00:03:45] Things can be important, but people are always more important.
[00:03:50] Things can also bog me down.
[00:03:53] I was created by God to grow, to move, to journey, to experience the great adventure of life.
[00:04:01] The more things I pile up, the less I'm able to move in this or that direction.
[00:04:07] I become less an adventurer and more a watchman.
[00:04:13] Life is too short to invest too much time and too much talent and too much love in things.
[00:04:21] The advice Jesus gives to the apostles, he also gives to me.
[00:04:26] Go forth to the great adventure of life, and as you go, travel light.
[00:04:37] Jesus instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick.
[00:04:41] No food, no sack, no money in their belts.
[00:04:46] Mark chapter six, verse eight.
[00:04:54] Spend some quiet time with the Lord.
