Sixteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time
He said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." (Mk. 6:30-34)
Prepare yourself for a blessing. What I'm about to share will undoubtedly enhance your service to the Lord. Whether you attend Mass monthly or are involved in church ministry as a eucharistic minister, lector, or usher, this reflection will help you. Today, I urge you to self-reflect deeply to check yourself before you wreck yourself.
Today, Mark's Gospel begins with the apostles reporting to Jesus all they have done. Why did they need to inform Jesus? Who knows? Nevertheless, they shared their report, and Jesus responded not with praise or acknowledgment but with an invitation to rest, "Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." Jesus was guiding the apostles to check themselves before they wrecked themselves.
Consider this thought. After ministering and serving God's people, we often seek acknowledgment and approval for a well-done job. Do you remember when, as a child, you did something right, and your parents clapped their hands and said, "Yeah!" As adults, we still seek validation. If no one acknowledges our work, we can feel discouraged. Did the apostles experience something similar? Were they hoping for Jesus to affirm their accomplishments? Did the apostles mistakenly believe they were finished? The apostles may have lost sight of what it meant to be ministers serving God's people. Jesus, perhaps, discerned that the apostles needed to rethink their ministry; they needed to check themselves before they wrecked themselves. This is a lesson we can all learn from as we navigate our roles in the church.
When Jesus encouraged the apostles to go to a deserted place and rest for a while, he talked about more than just physical rest. When ministering and serving God's people, you need profound spiritual rest. A closer reading of the Creation Story in Genesis reveals that God created the world in six days. But on the seventh day, the ancient rabbis believed that God created menuha, which, when translated, means "tranquility, serenity, repose, and rest." (Restoring the Sacred Rhythm of Rest - Wayne Muller - p. 37) God's creation of menuha, a healing space, is comparable to the psalmist's words, "Be still and know that I am God!" (Ps. 46:11 NAB). This spiritual rest is not just a leisure ride on a boat. It is a necessity for effective ministry.
Soon after Jesus and the apostles steal away, Jesus shows the apostles and us a profound truth. In Rest In The Strom, Kirk Byron Jones said, "we must be co-celebrants with God in affirming and claiming peace." (p. 77). God is our peace; we don't have to seek or manufacture something that gives an image of peace. No, we walk together with the Creator, asserting God's menuha. Isaiah acknowledges God as maintaining internal peace within us "because of our trust in [God]" (Is. 26:3). We only walk with people we trust.
Therefore, the validation we desire comes from God when we are still, like the apostle Paul, who said, "Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus" (Ph. 4:6-7). God's validation of our ministry lives in our stillness, tranquil moment, and menuha. In our prayerful Kairos with God, we have the ultimate reassurance that God's peace is within us.
One may ask, "How do I know that God has validated my ministry?" Look at the end of Mark's gospel reading. After Jesus rested, He saw a vast crowd. He said they were "like sheep without a shepherd" (Mk. 6:34a). Here, God gave Jesus and the apostles the spiritual impetus to return to the community and continue their ministerial duties. The scriptures say, "He began to teach them many things" (Mk. 6:34b). With the apostles looking on, I imagine they were amazed at how Jesus ministered after entering God's menuha.
Check yourself before wrecking yourself. Enter God's menuha. "The one who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." Then he said, "Write these words down, for they are trustworthy and true .. I [am] the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty, I will give a gift from the spring of life-giving water" (Rev. 21:5-6).
Write down what God says about you: "I am wonderfully made; wonderful are your works! My very self you know" (Psalm 139:14). Then, open your eyes and see the crowd that needs your spiritual gifts, for they are like a sheep without a shepherd. Give them the spring of life-giving water you received from God's menuha.
"When the sun rises, they steal away and settle down in their dens" (Ps. 104:22).
Thank you for reading and praying through this blog. If you enjoyed the content of this presentation, please press the like button and share it with a friend. Evang./Prof. Howard
Author: Evang./Prof. Michael Howard, MACS
Facilitator, University of Dayton, VLCFF,
University of Notre Dame, McGrath Institute, STEP Online,
Lead Faculty and Course Designer "The Presence of Black Catholics in the Church Today and Tomorrow" Loyola Marymount University,
Founder of Eat the Scroll Ministry
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