For this week’s homily please watch the video below.

“Come by yourselves to an out-of-the-way place and rest awhile.”

Last Sunday in Mark’s gospel Jesus sent out his disciples two by two to proclaim his message and cure the sick. Today’s reading describes their return; they’re enthused by what they’ve experienced. It looks like they have done very well, and they’re ready to go out again.

But Jesus tells them, “Come by yourselves and rest awhile.” Now, if you tend to think of Jesus as a hard boss, a relentless driver, remember this gospel. Instead of sending his disciples out again, he tells them to rest awhile–probably the last thing they want to hear, but what they need to do. 

 “Come apart, and rest awhile.” That’s a call for balance in life, a balance of doing and resting, of work and leisure. A hard balance to keep, especially today, I think.

Our world never seems to sleep, our cell phones and computers and video games never stop, our businesses, our work go on day and night, seven days a week. We’re a driven society; we seem to have lost the rhythm of sleep, of meals, of quiet reflection, of prayer, of resting awhile. Even the way we play seems to be over organized and frenetic. We don’t seem to be able to rest awhile. 

Sometimes the business world creates this imbalance. Some people have jobs that are too demanding, non-stop.  Sometimes we ourselves create the imbalance. We want too much, we want to do too much. We don’t want to stop and rest awhile. But we’re not machines; we’re human beings and human beings need to rest awhile. 

We need to remember God’s presence, guiding and sustaining us. We need to hope in God. 

There’s a beautiful poem by the French poet Charles Peguy called “Sleep.” In the poem God talks to someone like us. “Do you think I can’t handle things without you,” God says. Go to sleep. Get some rest.

Here’s some of the poem:

“Human wisdom says  “Don’t put off until tomorrow 
What can be done the very same day.”
But I tell you that he who knows how to put off until tomorrow
Is the most agreeable to God
He who sleeps like a child
Is also he who sleeps like my darling Hope.
And I tell you: Put off until tomorrow
Those worries and those troubles which are gnawing at you 
today
Put off until tomorrow those sobs that choke you
When you see today’s unhappiness.
Those sobs which rise up and strangle you.
Put off until tomorrow those tears which fill your eyes and
your head,
Flooding you, rolling down your cheeks, those tears which
stream down your cheeks.
Because between now and tomorrow, maybe I, your  God, will have
passed by your way.
Human wisdom says: Woe to the one who puts off what he
has to do until tomorrow.
And I say Blessed, blessed is the one who puts off what he
has to do until tomorrow.
Blessed is the one who puts off. That is to say, blessed is the one who 
hopes. And who sleeps.”

The poem’s not advocating procrastination, of course, it’s not saying don’t face reality. No. It’s saying believe that God’s with you, guiding and sustaining you. You don’t have to do it all yourself. 

Going back to our reading for today. The disciples are going to have to go back to work again. Crowds descend on them in a deserted place. “What are we going to do?” they say. Our gospel next Sunday tells us what God does. He feeds the multitudes. They hardly have to do a thing.