Here are my reflections for the first weekend of August: some thoughts which I shared with those who come to seek rest for their souls this weekend.
In today’s gospel passage, Saint Matthew wanted to show us that even Jesus needed some time for rest, even he needed to recharge from time to time. The passage begins by situating us: When Jesus heard that Herod had beheaded John the Baptist, he withdrew … to a deserted place. Every time I read these words, there’s a part of me that wonders whether Jesus was overcome with grief over the death of his cousin – that would have been the human reaction – or whether he sought out the deserted place in order to give thanks to the Father for having called John Home, which would have made this moment one of thanksgiving. Either way, the fact that Jesus needed some time alone shows us that he too needed to rest and recharge, just like we do.
Time for resting sometimes means literally that: time to sleep, to physically recharge our bodies, but time for resting can also mean taking time to recharge our souls, and each of us has different ways of recharging our souls. For some of us, this is accomplished through spending time with those we love, others can recharge through hobbies, but all of us can recharge through prayer: opening our souls to the presence of God allows him to energize our souls and to prepare us for the challenges that may lie ahead.
Jesus knew the importance of rest and of remaining connected to the Father in prayer. He was well acquainted with the words of the prophet Isaiah, spoken in today’s first reading: everyone who thirsts, come to the water. God has always cared for his beloved people; he is always ready to quench our thirst for refreshment, for rest, for understanding and for compassion. Why then is it that so many people resist his invitation to come to the water … to look to him when we are in need, and to trust that he will indeed replenish us with all that we need, and even more?
When Saint Paul needed to convince the skeptics among the Christians in Rome, he described God’s love by asking a question: Who can separate us from the love of Christ? No hardship, no trial, no amount of distress, not even persecution … nothing can separate us from the love that God has to offer. In fact, those who find themselves confronted by these trials have most often been the best teachers, thanks to their example of hope, that God’s love will never be denied us.
Recharged by the love of the Father, Jesus was able to respond generously to the demands of the crowds who sought him out even when he was in the most isolated of places. With just a few simple ingredients, offered through the generosity of simple folk, Jesus was able to provide food for the multitudes. He is always able to take our meagre talents, our feeble efforts, our inadequate gifts and transform them into rest that refreshes and food to nourish our souls.
Rest and recharge
Time for resting sometimes means literally that: time to sleep, to physically recharge our bodies, but time for resting can also mean taking time to recharge our souls, and each of us has different ways of recharging our souls. For some of us, this is accomplished through spending time with those we love, others can recharge through hobbies, but all of us can recharge through prayer: opening our souls to the presence of God allows him to energize our souls and to prepare us for the challenges that may lie ahead.
Jesus knew the importance of rest and of remaining connected to the Father in prayer. He was well acquainted with the words of the prophet Isaiah, spoken in today’s first reading: everyone who thirsts, come to the water. God has always cared for his beloved people; he is always ready to quench our thirst for refreshment, for rest, for understanding and for compassion. Why then is it that so many people resist his invitation to come to the water … to look to him when we are in need, and to trust that he will indeed replenish us with all that we need, and even more?
When Saint Paul needed to convince the skeptics among the Christians in Rome, he described God’s love by asking a question: Who can separate us from the love of Christ? No hardship, no trial, no amount of distress, not even persecution … nothing can separate us from the love that God has to offer. In fact, those who find themselves confronted by these trials have most often been the best teachers, thanks to their example of hope, that God’s love will never be denied us.
Recharged by the love of the Father, Jesus was able to respond generously to the demands of the crowds who sought him out even when he was in the most isolated of places. With just a few simple ingredients, offered through the generosity of simple folk, Jesus was able to provide food for the multitudes. He is always able to take our meagre talents, our feeble efforts, our inadequate gifts and transform them into rest that refreshes and food to nourish our souls.
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