Mark 6:30-34

Hebrews 13:15-17, 20-21

Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6

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.

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I thank you for giving me the gift of divine rest. I can easily be overcome by work and toil and need the solace of your divine life. Guide me into the desert to be with you and learn from you.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Come Away and Rest: Like the Apostles today, we also need to bring to Jesus in prayer all we have done. The idea of coming away with Jesus and resting for a while reinforces the fact that being an apostle is not just about missionary work in the field, it also includes “being with Jesus.” We cannot give what we do not have. If we do not spend time with Jesus, we can only have our poor selves to offer to others. But if the life of Jesus dwells within us, we will have great spiritual treasure to offer. Jesus invites us today to be with him in the desert, a symbol of withdrawing from the things and distractions of the world.

2. Sheep without a Shepherd: As disciples of Jesus and members of the New Family of God, we are in the world but not of the world. Even as the Apostles seek a deserted place to be with Jesus and rest, a vast crowd finds them. Jesus is not disturbed by this. On the contrary, his heart was moved with pity. Seeing that they were like sheep without a shepherd, he began to teach them. He gives his Apostles the supreme example of how to care for the people. When we see someone in need, we cannot be selfish, turn inward, or ignore them. Giving of ourselves often requires sacrifice.

3. A Life of Grateful Love: Today, we conclude our four-week semi-sequential reading of the Letter to the Hebrews. In the final paragraphs of the letter, the author speaks explicitly of Christian worship. All Christian worship goes through Christ and his priestly mediation. “This worship comprises two aspects that correspond to the two dimensions of the love of charity: the aspect of continual thanksgiving to God (13:15) and the aspect of charity toward human persons (13:16), because acts of charity toward human beings are at the same time sacrifices offered to God. Through his sacrifice, Christ glorified God and saved his brethren; in his life, the Christian must give thanks to God and serve his brethren” (Vanhoye, The Letter to the Hebrews, 226). Because God is continually bestowing his grace upon us, our lives must continually be permeated with thanksgiving. “Christian life is a life of grateful love” (Vanhoye, The Letter to the Hebrews, 227).

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are truly wonderful. You gave without reserve and responded to the needs of the crowds. You fed them in body and soul. You fed their minds and their hearts. Help me to do the same.

Living the Word of God: Am I continually giving thanks to God? Do I wake up and begin the day with a prayer of thanksgiving? Do I pause midday to lift my mind and heart to God? Do I use the psalms as a model of prayer? Do I thank God before going to bed for all the good things I have received throughout the day?