I particularly love today’s Gospel. I can imagine the apostles tired and weary after a long day of preaching and ministering. They were doing God’s work but Jesus knew they could not keep up this pace. They needed a little quiet, some food and rest so He took them away on a boat to find a lonely place.
I picture the apostles sitting in the boat and thanking God that they had the chance to get off their feet but they looked ahead and saw the throngs of people running to their “quiet spot.” I’m sure some of the apostles got upset that they couldn’t even have some rest time before everyone needed something from them again. I also imagine other apostles seeing the same thing and then looking to Jesus. In Jesus’ eyes they saw a wave of compassion and they knew He would not send them away, but carry on with ministering to them. They also knew that if they wanted to rest, this was their only chance. So they placed their heads on their laps and tried to rest on the boat ride.
How many of us can relate to being so busy we have “no leisure even to eat?” The throngs of people calling you may be your little ones that don’t give you two minutes of peace to use the bathroom. Or it could be the non-stop interruptions you have when you are trying to finish a project before your deadline.
There are times when we give and give and give and feel like we can’t go on. Jesus understands that. He whispers, "Come away by yourselves to a quiet place and rest a while." We need that quiet time with Jesus to recharge our batteries and renew our spirits to continue in our vocation.
What about those moments when our quiet place is bombarded and we cannot rest as planned? Then we need to get creative to carve out a few minutes when we can. If you can’t even step away for even a minute, then stop a few seconds and take a deep breath and say, “God, come to my assistance. Lord, make haste to help me.” He will give you the grace you need to make it through that moment and carry on.
Are you able to come away and spend time alone with Our Lord? If not, what can you do to make it happen?
Bobbi Rol is full time mom to a teen daughter, three rambunctious little boys, and two babies in heaven. She lives in California with her husband, Brian. You can find out more about her here.
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