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.” (Mk 6:30-31a)
There is a requirement that the Church places upon all of its priests, deacons, and religious brothers and sisters. According to Canon Law, we must make a retreat each year. This is for a very specific reason: so that we can go away by ourselves to a “deserted place and rest a while”.
Ministry can be pretty rough on a person. We deal with so many people and circumstances every day and it can take its toll. If we do not get away to rest in the Lord and reflect and pray, we can find ourselves burning out.
It is the same for any of the faithful.
If you are living the faith as completely as Jesus challenges each and every one of us to do, you will find that it can take a toll on you. It can get exhausting trying to be a witness to a world that does not want to hear your message or see your example. It can be tiring to be constantly rejected by people in your workplace or, even, in your own home.
That is why the Lord calls us to go away by ourselves to rest for a while.
It might be on vacation, it might be on retreat, it might even be withdrawing from everything, locking ourselves away in a room, and praying for an hour in private. Whatever we do, we must find a way to “recharge our spiritual batteries” and we can only do that by resting in the Lord.
People who are extremely busy and who take the time that they need to withdraw and spend some quiet time with God find that they can be even busier without much harm.
Spend some time with the Lord today. If it has been a while since you have done anything like a day of reflection or a retreat, consider take the time needed to go away for a while and rest in the Lord.
FAITH ACTION: Many people find that they cannot take the time away for retreat. Consider making an “on line retreat”. Just Google “on line retreat” and see if something inspires you.