READINGS: JER 23:1-6; PSA 23; EPH 2:13-18; MK 6:30-34
THEME: IN CHRIST IS OUR REST
a. RENDERING ACCOUNT OF THE MISSION SENT
Last Sunday, we saw Jesus sending his twelve disciples two by two, giving them authority to teach, heal, and cast out demons. Today’s gospel reading presents to us the coming back of the Twelve from the mission. It begins with the sentence, “the apostles gathered to Jesus and told him all they had done and taught.” Being sent by Jesus, the apostles came back to him to give
report of the mission he sent them to do. The apostles recognized that the authority to preach and perform came from the Master and having done exactly what the Master sent them to do, they came back to him presenting themselves to him, and then rendering account of the mission.
The apostles did not allow the accolades of the people whom they had preached to and whom they had been able to heal through the authority of Christ, to keep them away from Christ who sent them. They recognized that the mission was not theirs so to speak but that they were only but sent. None went to begin acting on his own, abandoning the Sender, the owner of the authority and the gift to teach and heal, and the owner of the mission itself. In our different areas of life, dearest in Christ, we have been sent by Christ to go out and preach and heal using the gifts he has given us and the authority of his name. How often do we turn back, gather around him, to give him reports of our words and deeds? Have we been swollen by the praises of people that we forget that our mission originates from somewhere and from Someone to whom we must be accountable?
b. YOU TOO NEED SOME REST
It is not surprising that the mission of the apostles, their teaching with authority, their healing through the authority and commanding out demons, attracted to them many friends, admirers and seekers. Not only was it terribly busy for Jesus, but now also, the apostles had no time to eat because many were coming and going. But it is interesting to observe one thing: as many were rushing to the apostles because of what they have heard and seen, the apostles were running back and gathering back to Jesus, the owner of what they had taught and the source of the authority with which they had healed and fought against demons.
Not wanting the apostles to be caught up in the crowd and being attentive also to the physical and spiritual refreshment of the apostles, Jesus said to them “You too must come away to some lonely place by yourselves and rest for a while.” When Jesus told the apostles this, there were certainly still many sick
people, many people possessed by demons. That is to say, there was still a lot of work to be done. Yet, he saw the need for them to go to a lonely place and rest.
Before this passage, we have encountered lonely/deserted place (ἔρημον τόπον) in two other places in Mark’s gospel (Mk 1:12, 35) and in both of them it connotes moving away from the world. In Mk 1:35 Jesus is the first who went to a deserted place in order to pray, that is to say, to communicate with the Father who sent him on the mission. Not minding that everybody was searching for him (Mk 1:40) because of his teaching authority and healing powers (Mk 1:34) he had to leave everybody and go to a lonely place in order to pray.
The word to rest ἀναπαύω can mean of taking bodily rest, as in sleep rest (Cf Matt 26.45). It can also figuratively mean spiritual rest (cf Matt 11:28). In our today’s passage, going to a lonely place to rest calls for both physical and spiritual rest. Jesus wants his apostles to be away from people so that they can have time to eat and refresh their body, and also have time to contemplate on the mission they just came back from.
In our day to day activities, dearest in Christ, we must never forget the need of moving away from the crowd, from the world’s preoccupation, from the unending problems of the world, in order to have enough rest for our body as well as enough recollective moment for our soul. No matter how demanding our work is, no matter how important we are in our place of work, no matter how “without us everything crumbles” attitude, we must have time to rest. Nobody performs well under stress and with a body and mind that lack rest. Have time for vacation. Have time to have personal retreat and recollection.
Jesus called his apostles off from work, forcing them to take a holiday, irrespective of the plentifulness of the work to be done. As an employer, as a manager, as a chef or madam, please do not deny your workers their annual leave and holidays. Even when they do not request for it, force them into it. Give them that opportunity to refresh themselves bodily, mentally and spiritually. And you, the employee, put on the attitude of the apostles. Handle the work assigned to you so perfectly well and bring back always the good result and account of your work to your employer.
c. MEN SCATTER, CHRIST GATHERS
In the first reading, we see God accusing the leaders of the people of Israel, of scattering the people instead of shepherding them. God said, the leaders failed to attend to the people and their needs (פקד(, so now, he will attend (פקד (to the misdeeds of the leaders. The same verb root פקד) pachad) is used to speak of the good attendance the leaders should have given to the people, and then the punishing attendance of God to the failure of the leaders. That is, God said to the leaders of the people of Israel “since you have failed to attend to my people, I will now attend to your failure.” For these leaders, it did not matter to them how scattered and deserted the people were. But in today’s gospel reading, God’s promise through prophet Jeremiah comes to its fulfilment. In Jesus, we see the leader who takes care of his sheep, showing his compassion for their restlessness.
But we must acknowledge the apostles also for not scattering the sheep of Christ. Assuming each of the sent apostles went away taking with him the crowd following him because they saw the miracle he was performing; the people would have been left scattered. But coming back to Christ, the apostles brought the whole crowd following them back to Christ, the Shepherd and the Master.
Dearest in Christ, may we not allow the enemy of the unity of the children of God to use our God’s given gifts to scatter us. May we rather use our mission-based-talents to bring close many people who are very far from Christ. Whatever gift we have, it has been given to us for the mission of Christ, the mission of leading all men back to God the Father. And no matter
how effective and talented we may think we are, may we always understand the need of both bodily rest and spiritual retreat because only then can we have time to reflect on whether our talents are scattering God’s people instead of leading them to the Master.
Rev. Fr. Henry Nnamah
Catholic Diocese of Aguleri