TIME FOR ONESELF
(16th Sunday in Ordinary Time-B)
A few days ago we celebrated the feast of St. Benedict, the Father of Western Monasticism. He is known for his spirituality of moderation. According to Benedict a genuine spiritual life consists of three elements: Time for prayer, time for rest and time for work. In spite of our hectic activities, the importance of time for rest cannot be ignored. Jesus understood this point more than anybody else. The gospel reading for this Sunday underlines this point. When the disciples returned after their mission trip, Jesus said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” (Matthew 6:30). Before assigning them another mission Jesus invited them to rest.
Time for oneself (rest) is important for various reasons. It helps to discover who we are, to evaluate our previous actions and to get recharged for future plans. A story is told about William James, the founder of Behavior Therapy. One day a lady called him at his office for an afternoon appointment for the following day. William said, “I sorry, I already have an appointment at that time tomorrow. Please visit with me another time.” The following day, she happened to pass through his residence in the afternoon. To her surprise, she saw William James lying in the garden enjoying the breeze. She was very upset. She approached him and said: “You are a liar. You denied me an appointment saying that you are overbooked.” William said: “I did not lie to you. I have an appointment. My appointment is with myself. The time I spend for myself rejuvenates me to help others more effectively.”
Meeting with oneself is important. This becomes more productive if we discover ourselves in the presence of Jesus. In the second reading (Ephesians 2:13-18) Paul says, “Our peace is real when we come closer to Jesus because as we read in the Psalm, “When He is at my side I fear no evil.” (PS 23). Jesus invited his disciples to rest with Him. “Come to me, all you labor and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11: 28)
Jesus invited his disciples for a rest because He was attentive to their needs. Often we are aware of our needs and privileges. How often are we sensitive to the needs of others? Like a good shepherd Jesus had a personal knowledge of his sheep. He was a person-oriented leader. A task-oriented person is not concerned about the need of his subjects, only his own personal benefits. For him the task is important not the person. For Jesus, the wellbeing of the messenger was as important as the message. How do I treat people who are entrusted to my care?
Overemphasis on oneself, however, can lead us into selfishness. Here Jesus himself is the model. Even though Jesus withdrew to a deserted place with his disciples, when He saw the crowd coming towards him, his heart was moved with pity for them. He forgot about himself and made himself available to them. Jesus had the right priority and the right priority gave him the right balance.
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(16th Sunday in Ordinary Time-B)
A few days ago we celebrated the feast of St. Benedict, the Father of Western Monasticism. He is known for his spirituality of moderation. According to Benedict a genuine spiritual life consists of three elements: Time for prayer, time for rest and time for work. In spite of our hectic activities, the importance of time for rest cannot be ignored. Jesus understood this point more than anybody else. The gospel reading for this Sunday underlines this point. When the disciples returned after their mission trip, Jesus said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” (Matthew 6:30). Before assigning them another mission Jesus invited them to rest.
Time for oneself (rest) is important for various reasons. It helps to discover who we are, to evaluate our previous actions and to get recharged for future plans. A story is told about William James, the founder of Behavior Therapy. One day a lady called him at his office for an afternoon appointment for the following day. William said, “I sorry, I already have an appointment at that time tomorrow. Please visit with me another time.” The following day, she happened to pass through his residence in the afternoon. To her surprise, she saw William James lying in the garden enjoying the breeze. She was very upset. She approached him and said: “You are a liar. You denied me an appointment saying that you are overbooked.” William said: “I did not lie to you. I have an appointment. My appointment is with myself. The time I spend for myself rejuvenates me to help others more effectively.”
Meeting with oneself is important. This becomes more productive if we discover ourselves in the presence of Jesus. In the second reading (Ephesians 2:13-18) Paul says, “Our peace is real when we come closer to Jesus because as we read in the Psalm, “When He is at my side I fear no evil.” (PS 23). Jesus invited his disciples to rest with Him. “Come to me, all you labor and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11: 28)
Jesus invited his disciples for a rest because He was attentive to their needs. Often we are aware of our needs and privileges. How often are we sensitive to the needs of others? Like a good shepherd Jesus had a personal knowledge of his sheep. He was a person-oriented leader. A task-oriented person is not concerned about the need of his subjects, only his own personal benefits. For him the task is important not the person. For Jesus, the wellbeing of the messenger was as important as the message. How do I treat people who are entrusted to my care?
Overemphasis on oneself, however, can lead us into selfishness. Here Jesus himself is the model. Even though Jesus withdrew to a deserted place with his disciples, when He saw the crowd coming towards him, his heart was moved with pity for them. He forgot about himself and made himself available to them. Jesus had the right priority and the right priority gave him the right balance.
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