Rest A While

Weekly Missionary Reflection
16th Ordinary Sunday, 21 July 2024
Jer. 23:1-6; Ps. 23:1-3a,3b-4,5,6; Eph. 2:13-18; Mark 6:30-34

“Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while!”
(Mark 6:31)

Today’s Gospel is about the apostles’ return after being sent by Jesus to preach the Kingdom of God. The apostles reported to Jesus all they had done and taught. Knowing they were exhausted after their hard work, Jesus invited them to a deserted place to rest for a while. However, a vast crowd had been waiting when they reached the deserted place. Jesus’ heart was moved with compassion, they were like sheep without a shepherd. For that reason, Jesus immediately began to feed them with His teachings.

Jesus showed His care to His exhausted apostles. Such care of Jesus reminds us of the importance of resting a while after having a hard job to refresh our body and mind. In our daily lives, we need to give ourselves time for rest, so then we can do our ministry better. Giving too much force on ourselves does not have a good impact, as it can make us sick, stressed, and other bad emotions. As a result, our ministry will be spoiled. For Jesus, taking a rest is part of the long series of missions in preaching the Kingdom of God. What can we do in the “resting” time?

As said in today’s Gospel, Jesus invited the Twelve to come away to a deserted place. We can assume this situation as giving quiet time to ourselves with Jesus, through reading the Scripture, retreat, meditation, and endless prayer. By “resting”, we refresh our strength to serve God better. 

The intention to “rest” of Jesus and the disciples didn’t work well. After going away to a quiet place, Jesus and the disciples were still followed by the crowd hungry for His teachings. Was Jesus upset? No! With His mercy, Jesus taught those who had been following Him. Jesus loves everybody including us.

In our lives at the church, we often find ourselves or our neighbors who are involved in the ministry at the church, pushing themselves too hard, that the result achieved is not optimal and spoiled.  We are sick and our mission is undone. 

Today’s Gospel invites us to take time for “rest” and carry out our ministry within the reasonable limit that our body can bear, so that our mission may bear fruit abundantly.

Our mission today: taking time to “rest” by reading the Scripture in silence, meditating, or praying in silence.

(Ignasius Lede – Commission for Mission of The Bishop’s Conference of Indonesia)

DAILY DEDICATED PRAYER

Lord, our Father, I present my today prayer, thought, word, work, joy and sorrow in the unity with Your Son, Jesus Christ, who always presents Himself in the Eucharist for the salvation of the world. May the Holy Spirit animating Jesus, also be my guidance and strength today so that I am ready to be the witness of Your love.

Together with Mary, Mother of Jesus and the Church, in particular I present my prayer for our Pope and apostle prayer of Indonesian Church of this month:

Universal Church Intent: For the pastoral care of the sick
We pray that the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick confer to those who receive it and their loved ones the power of the Lord and become ever more a visible sign of compassion and hope for all.

Indonesian Church Intent: For alternative education
We pray that the society will increasingly understand the uniqueness of each child so that they can be opened to any forms of alternative education that is most suitable to contribute the grow and development of children.

Amen.