Come away by yourselves

Last week we saw Jesus sending the apostles two by two to preach the Gospel, to announce the kingdom of heaven. Today we see them coming back, excited by all the good things that happened to them, the people they healed and the devils they cast out. They couldn’t stop talking about their adventures. They were all talking at the same time. Jesus realised that they needed a break. You can imagine the atmosphere of Jesus group, people coming and going all the time. We can see here the intensity of Jesus’ ministry. Such was his dedication to the souls that Saint Mark twice mentions that his disciples did not even have time to eat. The same should happens to us: we don’t have time to rest. Saint Josemaria says that “whoever gives himself to work for Christ, cannot expect to have a free moment, for even to rest is not to do nothing: it is to relax, with activities that require less effort.” We too are busy, fulfilling our duties, doing God’s work.

Benedict XVI likes to remember his favourite anecdote about John Paul II: “When the Pope was in Munich on his first trip to Germany, I saw what an incredible itinerary he had, that he was continuously busy from first thing in the morning till last thing at night. Then I thought to myself: This really shouldn’t be done! You have to introduce a little rest. I then ensured him there would be a nice lunch break. He had only just gone at lunchtime when he called me, saying I should come up quickly. When I came up, he had just prayed with his breviary. I said: ‘Holy Father, you simply must rest now!’ ‘I can rest in eternity,’ he said.”

We are busy doing many things, but sometimes we don’t do what we are supposed to be doing. We tend to be lazy and we spend our time doing the things we enjoy. Business’s collapse when people don’t do what it is important, but busy themselves in doing the things they like. We should tackle the difficult jobs first in the morning and leave the easy ones for when we are tired. We need to have our priorities right.

Jesus realised that the apostles needed to have a rest. From time to time Jesus used to take them away to have a break, to wind down, to be together by themselves and to pass his message to them. We too need a rest. Saint Augustine says that “a cord cannot endure constant tension, and an archer needs to loosen the ends of a bow if he wants to be able to draw it again later on.” We cannot forget that we have a limited amount of energy, and we all need to recover. God, after creating the universe, he rested on the seventh day to give us an example.

When they arrived at the place where they were going, they met a great multitude of people. We can imagine the disappointment of the apostles, looking forward to a few days with Jesus alone, when they encountered this big crowd. They knew what was going to happen. The Gospel says that Jesus’ “heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things.” It is beautiful to see Jesus reaction, how Jesus’ heart felt the need of his people. The apostles learned a good practical lesson they never forgot. All the readings of today’s Mass are centred on Jesus the Good Shepherd. He is the one who says to us: “Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest.” Only with him we can find true rest.

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