“Every scribe who becomes a disciple of the Kingdom of Heaven is like a householder who brings out of the storeroom things both new and old.” Mt. 13:52
If I ran downstairs right now to check my “storeroom” aka the pantry, I’m pretty sure I’d find a fresh box or two of pasta, some crackers and chips, and a few cans of beans. Maybe some canned tuna and tomatoes. There’s also probably some “old” stuff there that should probably be tossed. But do you think Jesus was talking about pantry staples?
When Jesus says a scribe following the Christian way can bring to their worldview “things both new and old,” what does he mean, exactly?
As I write, my Dominican Sister Anita Cleary is traveling in Kenya. Before departing she gave an interview to a local radio station. I noticed how she tried to impress on the interviewer that she was traveling primarily for purposes of “journeying with” others and “sharing stories.” The outward purpose of her trip – sharing with Kenyan women living in one of the largest refugee camps on Earth some surplus tools for spinning yarn – seemed less important to her than the experience of accompaniment she anticipated.
When they return to the U.S., Sister Anita and her companions will undoubtedly have many new things in the storeroom of experience worthy of being “brought out” – that is, contemplated, shared and interpreted. This is closer to what I think Jesus means. They will have been immersed in the joys and sorrows of the women they meet in the refugee camp. They will witness sights and hear stories and consent to deeper relationships with people whose experiences are very different from their own. It’s likely that some thoughtfulness and prayer will be required of the members of the group before they are ready to share. And when they do, perhaps their stories about what they experienced in Kenya will change others as well.
Some weeks ago, I ran across a quote from the peacemaking Holocaust survivor Eli Wiesel that has some bearing on this, I think: “Whoever listens to a witness becomes a witness.” That can certainly be true, when the listener is prepared with a listening heart.
Having had experiences similar to Sister Anita’s in crossing cultural boundaries and experiencing the world through the eyes of people in different cultural contexts, I anticipate that she and her companions – all with listening hearts – will take seriously their call to be witnesses. They will have much new insight and experience to “bring out” to share with the rest of us when they return from Kenya.
Experiences like this are not new to any of them. But how will this particular trip to Kenya shift their ways of knowing? What wisdom will they have to share? How will their stories help change those who hear them? Might we learn something from them about how our policies and behaviors in the U.S. impact the lives of displaced people living in one of the largest refugee camps in the world? And if so, then how will our lives be different because of that?
Whoever listens to a witness becomes a witness. Being a witness – and all of us can be – does not require international travel. There is nothing standing in the way of anyone of us stretching our own hearts to embrace a new perspective this summer. Could how we spend our leisure lead us beyond ourselves into new questions about the world we inhabit?
Maybe your summer vacation isn’t taking you to Kenya or any other far-flung corner of the planet. Maybe it’s a “staycation” for you this year. You can still turn your summer break into an opportunity to deepen your discipleship in the Kingdom of Heaven. Can you seek something new to challenge your understanding and world view in a way that will make you a more reflective, perceptive, or wiser contributor to the reign of God? All that’s needed is a listening heart.
It can start simply. Perhaps you donate to earthquake relief efforts in Venezuela because your heart was broken open by a news report about a single displaced family. If you allow that story to do its work in you more fully, you may learn how U.S. foreign policy has burdened that family, and others like them, and be moved to communicate with your elected officials about the matter. Or perhaps you meet someone in the Venezuelan diaspora and find your heart softened to the reasons that person is here and not in their beloved homeland.
Another approach might be opening a conversation with a new neighbor or co-worker, taking in a museum or art exhibit you might normally by-pass, reading an op-ed by a pundit you know doesn’t think like you … there are many more examples.
The goal is to fill our storerooms – the places we keep our highest values – with some new ideas, thoughts or experiences, and then to open our listening hearts to what we witness.
Sister Beth Murphy, OP, is a Dominican Sister of Springfield.
This article appears in August 20-26, 2026.
