Eighteenth Monday of Ordinary Time

When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns. When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.

Sometimes when we want to be alone, we cannot get away from others. We are forced by circumstances beyond our control to put our retreat from the world on hold and take care of others. Jesus does this in today’s gospel and models for us the proper response when things don’t go to plan. Instead of complaining about the crowd ruining his plans or running away from them, he takes pity on the crowd, cures them, and even feeds them. We, too, need to cultivate a spirit of compassion within us and be willing to set aside, even good things, for the better things in life, namely loving our neighbors.

What is our reaction when our plans don’t go well? How do we treat people who interrupt us? How are we building up the virtuous habit of compassion towards others?

O Lord, help us to be messengers of your mercy, especially to those who distract, hound, or annoy us as we attempt to know, love, and serve you.

Amen.