Gospel Reflection for Saturday, February 6th, 2021 — Mark 6:30-34
In today’s reading the “twelve” have returned from their mission and our Lord suggests that they seek a secluded place for some well deserved respite. So many folks were gathering around that they hardly had time enough for a meal.
Jesus has compassion on everyone, including those who work for him in ministry. The Sabbath day rest, after all was commanded out of love for God’s people.
Jesus cares about you and me and invites us to come away and rest a while — to a ‘deserted place’ occasionally to allow our souls to catch up. Otherwise, as T. S. Eliot says, “I have the experience of God’s action in my life, but miss its meaning because I don’t give time to reflection.”
How often do we become too busy or too poor ‘to get away from it all’. It’s important to make time and find a Sacred Space providing you with an oasis of calm and refreshment. It can restore your frayed nerves and re-orient you to what really matters. You’ll will never regret the time You give to this as a daily encounter with God.
What do you do when in your own life you we get overwhelmed with too much to do, too many demands on our time, or mentally exhausted from having too much month left at the end of the money? It’s happened to all of us. Jesus tells us that we need to rest in Him. That means we are to “trust in the Lord with all” our “heart and lean not on” our “own understanding; in all our ways” we are to “submit to him, and he will make” our “paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
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.
