Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

The apostles gathered together with Jesus and reported all they had done and taught. He said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while."

After sending his disciples out to preach the good news, Jesus gathers them together again, debriefs them, and then asks them to come with him to rest for a while. Jesus wants to impress upon his disciples the need to rest. We can’t keep going full speed ahead twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Just as God rested on the seventh day, so we too need to rest, relax, and reflect upon what we have done. In this way we can reenergize ourselves for the next set of tasks in our lives. Without rest, we get run-down and lose focus. We let our activities take over our lives without reflection upon their greater meaning. If we don’t rest, then we don’t gain the perspective we need to make the right choices in our lives. If we are always busy, than we shall miss out on opportunities for spiritual growth.

Are we too busy to rest and relax with Jesus as the disciples did? Are there things we do now that we could cut from our busy schedules so that we could have some more rest in our lives? Do we reflect upon our activities in order to better appreciate what they mean to us, others, and more importantly if they are in line with what God wants from us?

O Lord, gather us with you and lead us to rest.

Amen.