Kaukauna Catholic Parishes

If We Only Had a Little Rest

One of the things I like about the Gospel for today is the way it shines a light on the humanity of Jesus. The Jesus we see in this story is one who seems to be just like us. He is tired, and the people around him seem to be getting more demanding every day. He needs to take a rest from the stress of life so He goes off to a deserted place to rest and pray. Don’t you feel this way from time to time? I know that I do. Some days I just want to experience some peace and quiet. To see Jesus feeling this same way is comforting to us and this gives us hope.

Maybe when we hear this story, we are not supposed to see a little bit of ourselves in Jesus.

I am not talking about seeing ourselves in the apostles, either. I am speaking about the crowd.  All these people followed Jesus from one place to another? Are we like them? Why were they chasing Jesus? Why would they not let Him alone to relax? It could be that they were simply curious.  Maybe they were spying on Jesus for the Jewish authorities. We will never know for certain.

One clue comes from the mouth of Jesus when He says, “for they were sheep without a shepherd.” Jesus could tell these people were spiritually lost and needed guidance. He knew there was something missing in their lives. They needed to experience something or someone who would give meaning to their lives. Jesus was that “one” person. 

Aren’t we these people, too, who need Jesus’ guidance? Unlike the simple world Jesus’ followers grew up in, our lives are more hectic, with dozens of distractions. Yet, we have the same basic needs as these early Christians; the need to fill our spiritual emptiness with a loving God.

In our hectic world of today, we have many voices speaking to us but there is only one voice that matters - the voice of Jesus Christ. Through prayer, Mass, Adoration, and Eucharist, our longings can be fulfilled. Let’s do our best to not be pulled in different directions. Rather, like the crowd in today's Gospel, let's do our best to not let Jesus out of our sight." There is no better place to be. 

Blessings,
Deacon Mark