Running on Empty
My wife is an RN at a nearby hospital. I cannot count the number of times that she has come home and mentioned that she was unable to eat her lunch until 2 or 3 in the afternoon, having begun her day at around 6 A.M.! Her duties demand that she put the needs of the patients first. She may grab a snack here or there but she must constantly be serving the needs of those in her care. When she arrives home after her 12 hour shift, she is physically exhausted and very hungry for a home-cooked meal!
When I was a DRE many years ago I would often arrive at the parish on Sunday morning around 7 A.M. and not eat lunch until I returned home late in the afternoon around 2 or 3. My duties kept me busy and only allowed for me to grab a snack briefly between classes.
Even Jesus Rested
In today’s Gospel Jesus makes His disciples take a break. He recently sent them out to heal and teach. Now they, like Jesus, were dealing with folks following them seeking prayers, and healing. They were inundated with requests to the point that scripture tells us, “they had no opportunity even to eat.“
With the examples above of my wife and myself it is easy to relate to the struggles of Jesus and His disciples. Many of us have been so busy with our duties that the need for rest and food can often fade until it is direly urgent; to the point of destroying the very good we are trying to do. I too have been hangry…
These aspects of human need, hunger, work, and lack of rest are easy to see in the Gospel today. However, I would challenge all of us to look deeper into this reading.
Spiritual Exhaustion and Hunger
Let’s apply the same principles, in a sense, to our spiritual lives. Are we so busy with everyday life that we aren’t taking the time to feed ourselves spiritually? I think this is very much the case; even if much of that “busyness” is wasted on screens. For the most part, at least in the US, we are more than satiated physically yet we are spiritually starving and exhausted!
Is Sunday Mass the only spiritual food you are getting? Are you not even snacking on Scripture throughout the week? Are you not resting with the saints by reading about their lives? Are you not speaking to your Mother, the Blessed Mother, at least a couple times a week with the rosary? Are you not seeking relief from the pains and struggles of the week with the healing balm of Confession?
This list could go on and on. The point is that we, like Jesus and His disciples, need rest not only from physical demands but also the demands of the world that drain us spiritually. I would argue that the more spiritually satiated we are the better we can perform our worldly duties. Most of the Saints would agree with me. “You cannot give what you do not have” and “Garbage in, garbage out” are spiritual truisms.
Pre-Lent Warm-Up
Jesus is speaking to you and me today, “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest awhile.” Make time for God this week. Think of the next 11 days as your pre-Lent warmup. Start the habits today that will carry you through the rigors of Lent.
Go away to a deserted place (bedroom, park, adoration chapel, library) and rest for a while. Spend time with God in scripture, Eucharistic Adoration, admire nature, or slowly build up your tolerance for quiet, distraction-free contemplation. Don’t be so busy with worldly duties that you neglect your spiritual life. Block off time on your calendar to read about the lives of the saints for inspiration. Set aside time every day to pray.
I think you and I will find that if our spiritual lives are well cared for, our worldly duties and states in life will be far better and our hearts will not become hardened. They will assuredly be more like Jesus’ heart that was, “moved with pity for them.”
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