The message here about our need for rest and renewal is genuine, not selfish.
Of the Ten Commandments, the least-thought-of commandment is the Third Commandment: Remember to keep holy the Lord's Day. We are clear about dimension of this commandment as it refers to Sunday Mass. The Sunday Eucharist is to be a part of the rhythm of our life. What is less clear about this Commandment is that we keep the Lord's Day holy by resting, by renewing ourselves, by remembering what is important in life.
We need to reclaim a sabbatical consciousness. By that, we need to be able to rest – not just in the sense of taking a nap or even taking a vacation, but resting in the presence of our loving God who wishes to renew us in spirit day by day.
What is your "Out of the-Way Place" that enables you to rest a while? It may be a place on the water or in the mountains. It may simply be a favorite chair -- perhaps not located in front of the TV, but in a quiet prayer corner of your home. It may be a relaxing walk along the canal path or a place to experience the sunrise.
I would invite you to think of this dimension of your spirituality. God will hold us accountable for the good things we fail to enjoy. We are blessed in so many ways. Pope Francis in his writings wants us to rejoice and be glad. He has written the JOY OF THE GOSPEL and the JOY OF LOVE.
In the rhythm of the spiritual life, there needs to be both a time apart and a time with others. In the time apart, we need to be comfortable with solitude – time to be, time to be still in the presence of God. It has been said wisely: Beware of the person who cannot be alone. This person can use community as a way of running away from themselves.
We need to find time in our day for prayer. But Father, my day is too crazy. I'm too busy. If we are too busy to pray, yes, we are too busy. I invite you to find sometime in your day to waste time with God. That is what prayer is – wasting time with God.
Back to the Gospel, "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." In the rhythm of our spiritual life, there needs to be time for personal prayer; there also needs to be time in which we do what Jesus did.
Our spiritual life is not merely about our personal piety; our spiritual life is to be lived out in the service of people in need. This is how Jesus lived. This is how the disciples of Jesus are to live.
There are so many people searching today, people hungering for instruction, good people who are looking for direction. They may be parents who are sick with grief over the future of a troubled child; a man stripped of his dignity by unemployment; a woman facing pregnancy alone; elderly people who feel the diminishing surge of life in their bodies; people who are angry and confused because they have lost confidence in leaders, whether political or religious. They are people looking for answers and for meaning. They are like sheep without a shepherd. To whom should they turn?
Who for you is a good shepherd in your life that leads you to Jesus who is the Good Shepherd of us all?
As a people of God, as the disciples of Jesus, as the community of the baptized, our call is to shepherd one another. It doesn't mean they we have all the answers, but it does mean that we are to offer our loving support and service to one another. It does mean that in Christ Jesus we are brothers and sisters to each other.
In the rhythm of our spiritual life, prayer leads to our service of one another, and our service of one another leads us back to prayer. It is the Lord who is the Good Shepherd of the lives of us all. The Lord is be a part of the rhythm of our lives. Our responsorial psalm is psalm 23. "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want; he makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul." May we always know that we are never abandoned by a God whose love is made known to us in Jesus, the Good Shepherd.
Jesus is the Good Shepherd who is always concerned about people. Notice in the first part of today's Gospel account, Jesus is concerned about the well-being of his disciples even more than the success of their mission. Jesus invites them to come away and rest for a while. Then when Jesus saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them for they were like sheep without a shepherd. Always, Jesus places people first. He wishes to the Good Shepherd of his disciples as well as the vast crowd of people.
May you embrace the grace of today's liturgy and allow Jesus to be the Good Shepherd of your life. Allow yourself to be loved by the Lord. May our summer mantra that the Lord will hold us accountable for the good things we fail to enjoy.