16th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B - 19/7/2015 - Gospel: Mk 6:30-34
Busyness
When a new product comes to the commercial market they advertise how good it is and how convenience it brings to our life. The same kind of praises and goodness gets passed on to the next product and the previous one becomes obsolete. In order to sell the goods they need to sell the concepts and the consumers are driven not by the products but by the concepts. Advance technology makes life more comfortable but certainly not easier for everyone because there is nothing invented by men that has no side affects. The first one comes to mind is time consumed. Everyone young and old, students, workers or retirees all experience some sort time constraint. It seems illogical to talk about time constraint when most things are done by machines and machines work a thousand times faster than the traditional manual method. The 'not have enough time' or busyness is the reality of a modern life. Everyone feels that they are busy and some are extremely busy and the end result is tiredness or burn- out. The second widespread epidemic is the abuse of technology. The young ones are addicted to electronic technology. At an individual level the police force is busy fighting anonymous hackers to invade private life and at national level hackers who try to steal intelligent information. The web ware is just a beginning.
The apostles of Jesus felt extreme busy- had no time to eat- when Jesus sent them out in pairs to labour for the kingdom. Jesus told them
'You must come away to some lonely place all by yourselves and rest for a while'. v.31.
The advice to do something before being burnt out is God's wisdom and it is a practical one. It is simply taking time for reflection. A lonely place doesn't mean that you are alone by yourself or feel lonely or doing nothing. No, it is a place where you choose to be with yourself and with God. In case of the apostles they are with their friends who shared the same faith, served the same Lord and were doing the same mission. A lonely place is a place for physical resting and nourishment and for spiritual enrichment. A lonely place is where there is no time constraint or pressure and your day is flexible and restful. It is a place where internal peace is streaming and it has a sense of tranquillity which makes your troubles vanished. A lonely place is where your body relaxed, energy is recharged and your spiritual life is strengthened and nourished with the grace of God. A lonely place is a place where you can open yourself to God. If you are happy you can share that happiness with God who is able to magnify your happiness and you feel much happier. If you are unhappy you can unlock yourself and share your concerns, your worries and your bitterness to the God who can heal you to wholeness which makes your troubles vanish. God's love is eternal. We sell neither concepts nor the product but are witnesses for God's love in a new way.
The apostles of Jesus felt extreme busy- had no time to eat- when Jesus sent them out in pairs to labour for the kingdom. Jesus told them
'You must come away to some lonely place all by yourselves and rest for a while'. v.31.
The advice to do something before being burnt out is God's wisdom and it is a practical one. It is simply taking time for reflection. A lonely place doesn't mean that you are alone by yourself or feel lonely or doing nothing. No, it is a place where you choose to be with yourself and with God. In case of the apostles they are with their friends who shared the same faith, served the same Lord and were doing the same mission. A lonely place is a place for physical resting and nourishment and for spiritual enrichment. A lonely place is where there is no time constraint or pressure and your day is flexible and restful. It is a place where internal peace is streaming and it has a sense of tranquillity which makes your troubles vanished. A lonely place is where your body relaxed, energy is recharged and your spiritual life is strengthened and nourished with the grace of God. A lonely place is a place where you can open yourself to God. If you are happy you can share that happiness with God who is able to magnify your happiness and you feel much happier. If you are unhappy you can unlock yourself and share your concerns, your worries and your bitterness to the God who can heal you to wholeness which makes your troubles vanish. God's love is eternal. We sell neither concepts nor the product but are witnesses for God's love in a new way.
Written by Fr Vũđình Tường
St Francis Xavier Catholic Parish
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane Australia
St Francis Xavier Catholic Parish
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane Australia