The apostles gathered together with Jesus and reported all they had done and taught. He said to them, “ Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while. People were coming and going in great numbers, and they had no opportunity even to eat… When he saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. ( Mt. 6:30-34).
After sending the apostles on a mission, they came back and reported to him all they had done. They must be very tired and hungry for Jesus initially told them to bring just little provision for their journey. The Lord saw their need and told them to get some rest by themselves away from the crowd that was coming in great numbers.
How compassionate of Jesus to give his apostles time to rest despite the pressing need of the crowd so they could reenergize themselves and have time to pray in private. It was also an opportune time to reconnect with the Father after the day’s rigorous work.
Many of us live busy lives, work under pressure to finish some things, accomplish our goal, sometimes tangled in congested schedules and appointments driven by the desire to gain more. Others live fast lives, racing with time and with each other as if there’ll be no tomorrow. Still others live loud lives to show off and seeking attention. How often do we hear of people breaking down, burnt out and fall into serious illness because of too much stress? We need to slow down to give our body some rest and not wait till it sends up a red flag.
We must learn the lesson to depend on God. We can only do so much and the rest, leave it to Him. We need to establish our connection with Him through prayer and sacraments. If we can spend time for leisure or work, we should do likewise for our spiritual nourishment. When we feel being poisoned by stress, pressure, pain and failure, the best antidote is to Pray. It would be spiritually nourishing if we end each day with prayer thanking God for all that he provides us and doing so will give us a peaceful conclusion of our day’s strife and struggle. We need to make a balance between work and prayer for a healthy physical and spiritual life.
On the flip side, someone said that love is what makes you smile when you are tired. Happiness isn’t what you want all the time. It’s about loving what you have and being grateful to it. Make time for people who make you feel extra especial. If you woke up today and still breathing, that’s a miracle. “Say Amen”. Let’s not be afraid of what today will bring, because God is already there. Amen on that folks!!
St. Faustina wrote Jesus’ words; “ I want to give complete pardon to the souls that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion on the Feast of My Mercy.” ( Diary 1109.)
Pray the Divine Mercy every 3 p.m. Daily pray the Chaplet of Mercy and the Holy Rosary for peace in our families and throughout the world.
Our Guam Divine Mercy Apostolate prayer team is thankful to William and Monica Parke for the presentation of the Divine Mercy devotion and the veneration of the sacred relic of St. Faustina in their home in Santa Rita. May the Lord bless you and your family with abundance of His grace and mercy.