Reflection for February 6, Saturday; Sts. Pedro Bautista, Paul Miki and Companions; martyr Mark 6:30-34

Gospel: Mark 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 Jesus 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.

+ + + + + +

Reflection:

Do you always have time to be with Jesus?

In the gospel, after working so hard to spread the gospel Jesus noticed that the apostles were tired from doing their mission. Thus, He told the apostles to be with Him in a place by themselves to rest.

Why to be with Him and not to be alone by themselves? Because it’s only through Him that they could have complete recovery from their physical and spiritual tiredness. If they go alone to a quite place by themselves they surely could re-invigorate themselves physically. But how could they re-energize their spirits without Jesus?   

In our materially driven world we are always on the move, always busy with work and other things. So we get tired naturally and to ease this tiredness some of us go on vacation to re-charge our tired and weary bodies.

But this earthly vacation is not enough we need to have time for Jesus also so that He could restore and strengthen our weary spirits. We are not only  creatures of this world we are also to become citizens of heaven in the future time appointed by God. Thus, we need to have our regular quite and solemn time for Jesus. To simply be with Him and deepen our intimacy with Him.

In what way can we have an intimacy with Jesus to rest and allow HIM to nourish us? We can go to Mass to listen to His words being proclaimed in the readings. WE can also receive HIM during Holy Communion.

We can have our quite time with Jesus in the Adoration chapel and allow HIM to embrace us with His unconditional love. We can read the bible and meditate on His very words that can transform us anytime. We can also attend a recollection and feel the presence of God there. These are simple ways on how we can spend time with God and be in quite place with HIM.

But sad to say many of us forget it because we are always busy, we allow ourselves to be engulfed by the things and activities of this world which are temporary and passing. We forget the eternal that is Jesus. – Marino J. Dasmarinas