Where do you find rest?
- Fr Raphael Ma, CR
- Mark 6: 30 - 34
A Resurrectionist Vocation Minute for July 21, 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Where do you find rest?
Last Sunday, we heard Jesus sent the twelve Apostles, two by two, on their first mission to proclaim repentance, cast out demons, and to heal. In today’s Gospel, they got back together and told Jesus about everything that had happened, and Jesus’ first concern – is that they should rest.
For some, the summer months are a time to recreate, to relax, to rest. Even for those of us who work full-time during the summer, some of us can take breaks or schedule some time off.
Time off and rest are not always the same. Sometimes we do just need a break in our routine, a change of scenery. But rest is more than this. Rest is restorative, rest recreates us. Things we need, that we perhaps put on hold while focusing on other things, or that are simply not available at the time, do not go away.
Perhaps the rest the disciples needed was to realize their work did not depend only on them. Expecting to go away with Jesus to a place of rest, they instead found a crowd waiting. But Jesus stepped forth from the boat and ministered to the crowd, and the twelve could be disciples again, listening to Jesus, and watching how He ministered to people.
Where do you find rest? When was the last time you enjoyed being a disciple of Jesus, watching with wonder at how He works in the lives of others?
“Recalling that Christ “would always go off to some place where he could be alone and pray” (Lk 5:16), we, too, must withdraw from time to time from our apostolic labors in order to devote some time exclusively to reflection and prayer. This withdrawal for prayer will serve to render our apostolate more fruitful by strengthening our union with Christ, who assures us that “cut off from me you can do nothing” (Jn 15:5). Thus we see the importance of our monthly days of recollection and of our annual retreat.”