16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Gospel – Mark 6:30-34

Stop, Slow Down, Go

Church of Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem

A simple stoplight!  You know the routine.  Slow down, stop, go!  We are all used to it but I wonder how often we apply it to our daily life.  I wonder how often we all approach life and work with just one simple word – GO!!  No stopping!  No slowing down!  Just go, go, go!  Is it any wonder then how bone-tired we can get and the only reason we stop is our body just shuts down and refuses to cooperate!

After so many hospitals visits these past 9 months, I am reminded of a sign I saw on a patient’s door.  Pause!  Reflect!  Heal!  And it reminds me of Jesus’ words to the disciples in today’s Gospel.

“Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.”

After weeks on the road, preaching, teaching and healing, the disciples have returned home to Jesus, excited and most definitely exhausted in body, mind and spirit.  And Jesus’ response? Get away from the world for a while!  Rest and recover!!  He doesn’t immediately send them back out or even ask them to report on their travels.  He knows what they need is a bit of a break to heal themselves, to recharge their batteries.  

And so do we all!  We are all dealing with stress and pressure in our lives.  We are all feeling overwhelmed, scattered and burnt out!  We all have moments that test our courage, our patience and even our faith! We all need to take a break, a pause, to step back from life, to reflect on where we have been and where we want to go!  To heal our mind and our heart!!  And that is what Jesus reminds us today!  Slow Down!  Stop and step away!  Remember to not just take the time to refresh your soul, your faith.  MAKE the time!

So take care of yourselves!  Pause!  Reflect!  Heal!  Just as Jesus tells the disciples today – come away and rest a while.  And remember this!  After 6 days of creation, even God took the time to rest on the 7th day!

Comments

  1. AnonymousJuly 21, 2024 at 5:54 PM

    Thank you, Deacon Bill, for continuing to write these reflections. Even if you don’t write a reflection for each day, it is greatly appreciated on Sunday. May God bless you and Ginger!

    ReplyDelete

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