Reflection for February 4, Saturday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time: 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 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.

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Reflection:

The story is told about a man who was so focused in his career that he aimed to be the best n his chosen field. To make a long story short the man eventually reached the pinnacle of his ambition. In the process of focusing on his career, he forgot about the importance of God in his life.  

After working so hard to spread the good news of Jesus, the apostles were invited by Jesus to go to a quiet and deserted place. Why in a quiet and deserted place? Why not in a place full of food and joyfulness? We all know the reason why in a quiet place, Jesus wanted them to be fully charged spiritually and be connected with God. 

This is what many of us seem to forget, we tend to forget to go to our own quiet place every day.  A quiet place where we can be alone with God. We talk in silence to God; we unburden to God all our worries and we let Him direct us not us directing ourselves. 

 We oftentimes allow ourselves to be eaten by the dog-eat-dog culture and the rat race mentality of this world. But where would this lead us? It will lead us to nowhere; to an environment where there is no more God. To an environment where work, busyness, and hedonism are already our God, and soon after we become sinful creatures of this world.  

The danger of this modern world that we are presently in right now is it’s slowly taking us away from God. It tries very hard to substitute God with work, high-tech gadgets, social media, and material things but this will never give us peace and contentment. Only GOD will give us peace and contentment, only through GOD that we could discover a deeper and more meaningful life. 

There’s more to life than what this world offers you. And you could only discover it if you would have a regular quiet time with God. Do you have your own quiet time with God every day? – Marino J. Dasmarinas