<h3>Come Away to a Deserted Place</h3>
Jul
23
Written by:
Sunday, July 23, 2006
16th Sunday Ordinary Time
July 23, 2006
"Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest awhile"
(from this Sunday's Gospel: Mark 6:30-34)
Last week, Jesus sent his disciples out two by two to all the local villages to prepare for his coming. This generated lots of excitement – and crowds – wherever Jesus and the disciples went. It was, in fact, exhausting.
It is encouraging to note that even Jesus needed a rest from his ministry and activities. In the gospels, Jesus regularly makes time to pray and "get away." He insists on a balance for himself and his disciples between work, prayer, and rest. If any of these gets seriously out of balance in our lives, we are headed for trouble.
At the same time, notice that even Jesus was not always successful in getting the rest and /or prayer he needed. The disciples, tired from their activities, get into the boat with Jesus to travel to the far shore. Who wouldn't want to be in that boat with Christ, headed for a retreat on the other side of the lake! Of course, the crowd is too smart for them: they are waiting on the other side of the lake. An ordinary person might be tempted to resent this intrusion, but Jesus "feels sorry for the crowd," recognizes his Father's will and gets back to work.
The first thing we learn from this gospel is the primacy of charity: In our daily commitment to work, rest and prayer, if these are "interrupted" by a need to be charitable, then love comes first.
Second, prayer and some form of rest must have a place in my daily life. This means different things for different people: a working mother or father will not have the same time or schedule as a Monk! Yet, it is as true in my life as a priest as yours, there is always something more to do: if we don't have a commitment to prayer and spiritual reading, it tends to get crowded out.
Third, too much leisure is as bad for our soul as too much work. Jesus always strove for a balance in our lives between work, rest, and prayer. And it is encouraging to remember that even Jesus' day planner didn't always work out the way he wanted it to!
Father Gary.