16th Sunday of the Year (B)
You must come away to some lonely place all by yourselves and rest for a while. (Mark 6:31)
In today’s Gospel, Jesus and the Apostles go on holiday!
Just like the school children and the teachers and so many others, they set off for a bit of a break.
Last week, in the Gospel we heard about the urgent, almost frantic mission which Jesus gave to his apostles, to go out two by two, to preach to all who would listen, to move rapidly from place to place shaking the dust off their feet as they went. And now, the mission successfully completed, it is time to go off to a quiet place for a bit of relaxation. ‘You must come away to some lonely place all by yourselves and rest for a while,’ Jesus says (Mark 6:31). Their mission had been a bit too successful, and they were pressed by the crowds, and just had to get away.
Except, of course, it all goes wrong. The crowd guess where they are going, and get there before them. And the work continues …
Of course, it probably wasn’t the first, certainly not the last holiday, the last break, to be disrupted, interrupted, or broken into.
And nowadays, with the mobile phone, it is almost impossible to get away completely. It is very rare to be more than a text an email or a phone call away. Getting away from it all can be a particular challenge for the priest, but not just the priest: many have responsibilities whicvh might mean they are at risk of having a break cancelled or being called back in an emergency. Others, in the caring professions find it hard to completely switch off while they are away, and yet others may spend their holidays finding resources or ideas for their working lives - the busman’s holiday, as they call it. And those who are responsible for others - parents and carers - may even find themselves working harder during the holidays, or being beset with worry for those left back at home, so that the end of holiday might even provide a bit of relief. Like Jesus and the Apostles, the idea of the time of rest might seem to be something of an illusion.
But this doesn’t mean that this story from the Gospels is telling us that the holidays, the break from routine is wrong in some way, or just a vain and pointless wish.
Resting, holidays, recreation are not wrong. We know that Jesus would frequently retreat from the activity of the day for reflection and prayer - just as he tried to here, and especially as he did even on the night before his arrest.
This Gospel is not telling us that we should work hard at all times and never rest. No: its message is one of compassion, and mercy, and generosity, and love: love of our neighbour, even love of those who do not love us. It is about humanity, and about Christianity in which all are our brothers and sisters. Despite the words in today’s readings about the Shepherds, this Gospel is not even really about priesthood, Christian ministry or leadership. It is about what it means to be Church. To be a person who cares. It is about compassion for one another, about valuing and nurturing every member of Christ’s flock, and those who are not yet part of his flock.
And Resting … is not an exercise in escaping from caring - but rather the drawing of strength in order to do the works of mercy.
That’s why we call it a holiday, a “holy day”.
It is a time for pleasure and enjoyment, and more. It is a time when we draw strength from God - so that we can take a breather, recharge our batteries, clear away the clutter, set aside the busy-ness, and look at things afresh - our responsibilities, our priorities and our faith.
So - however you spend the next few weeks, home or away, passive or active, have a good holiday. And recharge your batteries: to be strengthened in your service of God and in his works of mercy.
.
No comments:
Post a Comment