Liturgical day: Sunday 16th (B) in Ordinary Time
Gospel text (Mc 6,30-34): The apostles returned and reported to Jesus all they had done and taught. Then he said to them, «Go off by yourselves to a remote place and have some rest». For there were so many people coming and going that the apostles had no time even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a secluded area by themselves. But people saw them leaving and many could guess where they were going. So, from all the towns they hurried there on foot, arriving ahead of them. As Jesus went ashore he saw a large crowd, and he had compassion on them for they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began a long teaching session with them.
«Go off by yourselves to a remote place and have some rest»
Fr. David AMADO i Fernández
(Barcelona, Spain)
Today, the Gospel invites us to discover the importance of resting in the Lord. The Apostles were retuning from the mission on which Jesus had sent them. They had expelled demons, cured the sick and preached the Gospel. They were tired and Jesus told them to «Go off by yourselves to a remote place and have some rest» (Mk 6,31).
One of the temptations to which any Christian can succumb is that of wanting to do too many things and thus leaving the Lord a little to the side. The Catechism reminds us that, when it comes to prayer, one of the biggest dangers is that you can easily think that there are bigger, more important and more urgent things to be done, leading to a lack of care for the things of God. For this reason Jesus tells the Apostles, who have worked hard, are exhausted though euphoric because everything has gone so well, that they must rest. The Gospel says «they went away in the boat to a secluded area by themselves» (Mk 6,33). To be able to pray properly you need at least two things: the first is to be with Jesus as He is the person with whom we are going to talk. Make sure that you are with Him. For this reason all times of prayer normally begin with an act of presence of God which is often the most difficult part. We must make ourselves conscious of the fact that we are truly with Him. The second thing is that we must be alone. If we really want to talk with someone, to have an intimate and profound conversation we choose to be alone with them.
Saint Peter Julian Eymard recommended that one should rest with Jesus after receiving Holy Communion. He warned of the danger of filling thanksgiving after Communion with many memorised words. He said that, after receiving the Body of Christ, the best thing to do is to stay in silence for a while to regain our strength and to let Jesus talk to us in the silence of our hearts. Sometimes, rather than telling Him about our plans and projects it is better that we let Jesus instruct and encourage us.