16TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME B

-


COME AWAY AND REST





Patient: Is there anything you can prescribe for my illness doctor? Physician: Take this remedy – 1 week in a Palawan resort, 3 days of island hopping, watch the sunset on a boulevard, go hiking, and chill out in a coffee shop. Return after one month.



Jesus was like this doctor when his disciples, after their mission, reported back to him. “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest awhile.” The disciples were overwhelmed by their accomplishments and awed by the power Jesus shared with them. But Jesus focused first on his concern for the welfare of his chosen collaborators. He wanted them to rest, to regain their strength, to digest the events they experienced, and specially, to have time to pray.



We live in stressful times in a stress-filled world. Children lose vitality because of stress. Young people resort to mischief to release tensions. Adults suffer burn-out and dissipation. People can actually die due to stress and depression. Truly, we all need some rest from the grueling pressures of work, school, home and personal relationships.



We need to discover how to enjoy life. We must learn to stay on top of things in spite of our problems. Far from leaving us defeated, our daily interactions and occupations should make us richer, better, and happier. And while many professionals offer the remedy of counselling, wellness programs and eastern meditations, the Lord invites us to discover our “desert place” where we can find total rest for our body, mind and spirit. This desert refers to prayer and union with the Lord.



While recollections and retreats are beneficial to us, they are not as easy to attend or to schedule. The habit of prayer though, is both accessible and inexpensive. All you have to do is follow the advice of St. Francis de Sales: “Retire at various times into the solitude of your own heart, even while outwardly engaged in discussions or transactions with others, and talk to God.”



Take the doctors advice. Follow your counselor. More importantly, obey Jesus’ direction. Find the desert in your heart and rest in him.






-->

Popular posts from this blog

HOLY MASS IN FILIPINO (TAGALOG)

-
Image
ANG BANAL NA MISA PAMBUNGAD NA AWIT Pari:    Sa ngalan ng Ama, at ng anak, at ng Espiritu Santo. Bayan: Amen P.         Sumainyo ang Panginoon. B.        At sumainyo rin. P.         Mga kapatid, aminin nating ang ating mga kasalanan upang tayo’y maging marapat sa pagdiriwang ng banal na paghahaing ito.             Sinugong Tagapagpagaling sa mga nagsisisi,             Panginoon, kaawaan mo kami. B.        Panginoon, kaawaan mo kami. P.        Dumating na Tagapag-anyayang mga makasalana’y magsisi,             Kristo, kaawaan mo kami. B.         Kristo, kaawaan mo kami. P.         Nakaluklok ka sa kanan ng Diyos Ama para ipamagitan kami             Panginoon, kaawaan mo kami. B.         Panginoon, kaawaan mo kami. P.         Kaawaan tayo ng makapangyarihang Diyos,             Patawarin tayo sa ating mga kasalanan,             At patnubayan tayo sa buhay na walang hanggan. B.        Amen. GLORIA/ LUWALHATI
Read more

SIMBANG GABI DAY 1: READINGS AND REFLECTIONS

-
Image
FIRST DAY: DECEMBER 16   (from the book: Where is the Child?by Fr. R. Marcos (Makati: StPauls);  pls responsibly acknowledge source when using publicly)   fr tam nguyen's photo First Reading: Isaiah 56:1-3, 6-8   Thus says the Lord: Observe what is right, do what is just, for my salvation is about to come, my justice, about to be revealed.   Hay is the one who does this, whoever holds fast to it: Keeping the sabbath without profaning it, keeping one’s hand from doing any evil. The foreigner joined to the Lord should not say, “The Lord will surely exclude me from his people”; Nor should the eunuch say, “See, I am a dry tree.” And foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord, to become his servants—All who keep the sabbath without profaning it and hold fast to my covenant, them I will bring to my holy mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will
Read more

SIMBANG GABI DAY 2: READINGS AND REFLECTIONS

-
Image
SECOND DAY: December 17   (from the book: Where is the Child?by Fr. R. Marcos (Makati: StPauls);  pls responsibly acknowledge source when using publicly)   fr tam nguyen's photo   First Reading: Genesis 49:2, 8-10   Jacob called his sons and said [to them]: “Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob, listen to Israel, your father. “You, Judah, shall your brothers praise—your hand on the neck of your enemies;the sons of your father shall bow down to you. Judah is a lion’s cub, you have grown up on prey, my son. He crouches, lies down like a lion, Like a lioness—who would dare rouse him? The scepter shall never depart from Judah, or the mace from between his feet, until tribute comes to him, and he receives the people’s obedience.”     A.             Short Background on the First Reading   1. Who was Judah? Judah was one of the twelve sons of Jacob (or Israel). Jacob was considered the father of the nation of Israel and his twelve sons were cons
Read more