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Contemplating today's Gospel

Today's Gospel + homily (in 300 words)

Saturday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
View 1st Reading and Psalm
1st Reading (Heb 13:15-17.20-21): Brothers and sisters: Through Jesus, let us continually offer God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have; God is pleased by sacrifices of that kind. Obey your leaders and defer to them, for they keep watch over you and will have to give an account, that they may fulfill their task with joy and not with sorrow, for that would be of no advantage to you. May the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep by the Blood of the eternal covenant, furnish you with all that is good, that you may do his will. May he carry out in you what is pleasing to him through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Responsorial Psalm: 22
R/. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. In verdant pastures he gives me repose. Beside restful waters he leads me; he refreshes my soul.

He guides me in right paths for his name's sake. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side with your rod and your staff that give me courage.

You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for years to come.
Versicle before the Gospel (Jn 10:27): Alleluia. My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them, and they follow me. Alleluia.
Gospel text (Mk 6:30-34): 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. So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place. People saw them leaving and many came to know about it. They hastened there on foot from all the towns and arrived at the place before them. When he disembarked and 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.

“‘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”

Fr. David COMPTE i Verdaguer (Manlleu, Barcelona, Spain)

Today, the Gospel proposes a situation, a need and a paradox; all, very real in our time, too.

The situation: The Apostles are “overworked”: “People were coming and going in great numbers, and they had no opportunity even to eat” (Mk 6:31). Quite often we are facing the same kind of stress. Our work consumes a good share of our energy; the family, where each member seeks our love; the other activities, which we are engaged in, which do good to us while benefiting third parties... If you wish... you can? Maybe it would be sounder admitting we cannot do all we would like to...

The need: Our body, our head and our heart have a need: to rest. In these few verses we have an often ignored manual about resting, where communication is emphasized. The Apostles “gathered together with Jesus and reported all they had done and taught” (Mk 6:30). Communication with God, following the thread of what is more cherished to our heart. And —o surprise!— we find God is already awaiting. And He hopes to find us with our tiredness.

Jesus tells them: “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” (Mk 6:31). In God's plans there is a place of rest! But there is more, as our whole existence, with all that entails, must rest in God. An anxious Saint Augustine claims: “You made us for you and our heart is restless while not resting with You.” God's rest is creative; not “anesthetic”: bumping into God's love makes us focus on our heart and our thoughts.

A paradox: The Gospel scene has a “bad” ending for the disciples who cannot rest. Jesus's plan fails since people were coming. They have not been able to break away. We often cannot get rid of our obligations (children, wife, work...): it would be a betrayal to ourselves! And yet, we must find God in these realities. If there is communication with God, if our heart rests in Him, we shall play down our useless tensions... and reality —free of chimeras— will show God's sign more clearly. In Him, that's where we should rest!

Thoughts on Today's Gospel

  • “There is no rest which is not a weariness, unless it be suffered with God, or for God.” (Saint Teresa of Ávila)

  • “The divine rest of the seventh day does not allude to an inactive God, but emphasizes the fullness of what has been accomplished. It casts upon it a ‘contemplative’ gaze which does not look to new accomplishments but enjoys the beauty of what has already been achieved.” (Saint John Paul II)

  • “God's action is the model for human action. If God ‘rested and was refreshed’ on the seventh day, man too ought to ‘rest’ and should let others, especially the poor, ‘be refreshed.’ (Ex 23:12). The sabbath brings everyday work to a halt and provides a respite. It is a day of protest against the servitude of work and the worship of money.” (Catechism Of The Catholic Church, Nº 2172)