He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” - Mark 6:31

This Sunday’s Gospel tells us that we need to 

“Come away by ourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” 

The gospel story suggests that we must in fact find the quiet place in our hearts (deserted place) to which we can withdraw at any time, whether at school or at work. It’s not just withdrawing from school or work to find peace but also finding that quiet place in our hearts even when we are at school or at work.

I love how the Gospel shows the reality of being a disciple of Jesus or just being a human – napapagod din sila. Napapagod rin tayo. Remember the Gospel last Sunday? Jesus sent his 12 apostles for a mission. The apostles went off to preach repentance. They even drove out demons and anointed with oil the sick and cured them. So can you imagine? Dun sa Gospel, kagagaling lang nila sa mission. So when 

The apostles gathered together with Jesus and reported all they had done and taught. 

They must have been SUUUUUPER tired. That’s why Jesus told them to 

"Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." 

He could see they were exhausted and needed rest and renewal.  

Being a young disciple of Jesus will never be easy. And to be honest, being a Tricord to the Youth Ministry is certainly not easy. For one, I have to juggle all my responsibilities at home, in the ministry and at school.  For the past few weeks, I had been so caught up with school (studying for exams and quizzes, reaching deadlines for a feasibility study) to the point na hindi na ako makapunta every Saturday dito. I felt that I had neglected my other responsibilities, my role in this ministry and I can’t even be a sister or a daughter because late na ako umuuwi sa bahay from doing school work. 

Brothers and sisters, I’m telling you this not to rant but to remind you of God’s compassion and mercy. Yes, Life can be gruelling at times.  Whether it's priestly life, family life, student life or work life, our everyday demands can really drag us down.  

Despite our busy schedules, toxic masyado ating bosses sa work, raming pinapagawa, magkakabilang quizzes and exams, exam sa algebra, trigonometry, accounting, medical surgery, business law, economics, psych statistics, sociology, you have to juggle all together academics and mga organizations mo, gawa pa ng business plan, documentaries, thesis, ojt, raming reports and assignments, duty ka pa sa school, nandyan pa ang mga minor subjects na feeling major, naa pa jud ang samok na CAT and NSTP, yet again, God tells us to 

"Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." 

He acknowledges that we, as human beings, eventually get worn-out ang get drained. When we get little rest, we easily lose perspective and focus.  We no longer see things as they really are.  We fail to see the beauty in the people and things around us.

“Rest” means not only time to catch up on sleep or to go to long vacations and “unwind”, but Jesus is telling us that the kind of rest we need is the one that brings true renewal because it satisfies the needs of our souls. It refreshes our spirit as well as our body.  It restores hope so that we can dive back into life with all of its many challenges.  

Remember niyo talk ni Kuya Keith nung YE Weekend? Ano yun? Storms right? Ano yung reading dun? 

Then he made the disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When it was evening he was there alone.-MATTHEW 14:22-23

As you can see, kahit si Jesus, napagod. He was so available sa mga nangangailangan, sa may sakit pero kahit siya rin may hangganan.  With complete humility, He knew when he needed to get away, to renew contact with his Father, to recharge his batteries.

Like Jesus, I hope we have the humility to acknowledge that we get tired and that we need to get away and be alone with God. We need to be reminded that we always have a God to turn to. 

As we “Rest”, Jesus urges us, as he did himself, to retire and reflect on the meaning of what we are truly doing. Otherwise we may become active for activity’s sake or for other less worthy motives. We ask ourselves, “Bakit ko ba to ginagawa?” “Am I doing these for the right reasons?”

Preparing for this praise and worship, na excite talaga ako. Sabi ko push talaga natin to kasi I really needed it. And I’d like to believe that every one of us here present needed this. In a way, going here every Saturday and being with you guys is my deserted place. Here, I find peace and I find that quiet place in my heart because I get to serve the Lord with all of you. Seeing all of you yesterday and today, made me realize again why I’m here - to lead you guys to Lord as we together grow in His love. 

All in all, the readings focus on Jesus' role as the Good shepherd. Sometimes, because of our pride, we too easily forget we need a Shepherd.  We think we know the way; we think we have all the answers. Kala natin kaya natin lahat, na alam natin lahat. I want to quote Father Dear. He said yesterday, 

“You cannot grow by doing everything.”

We need others. We need Jesus. We need to learn how to surrender to the wisdom and goodness of the Good Shepherd and let Him lead us to “greener pastures” as He promised us.

Diba nag alis na ang mga apostles kay giparest ni Jesus. Naawa si Jesus sa mga tao kasi parang lost na sila. Kaya He took it upon himself to teach them.

His heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.

When our bodies are tired, it is so easy for us to be confused and restless as well.  We grow weary.  At these times, we may find renewal in Christ for He is THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE.  God does not want us to be lost. He wants to bring us back to safety through His mercy. 

In the first reading, Jeremiah addressed one of the problems that trouble us as a sheep.

Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the flock of my pasture, says the Lord.

I have read that it is important that we learn to identify the false shepherds in our life. It may seem to be a good thing but it does not strengthen our relationship with God but rather pinapalitan niya na ang ating faith with some sort of security – like money, power, material possessions, gadgets and etc. And when we rely on such things it leaves us once again “A SHEEP WITHOUT A SHEPHERD”

The readings hold a lot promises. The Lord promised through Jeremiah:

I myself will gather the remnant of my flock from all the lands to which I have driven them and bring them back to their meadow; there they shall increase and multiply. I will appoint shepherds for them who will shepherd them so that they need no longer fear and tremble; and none shall be missing, says the LORD.

He also promised in the 1st letter of Paul to the Ephesians:

that he might create in himself one new person in place of the two, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile both with God, in one body, through the cross, putting that enmity to death by it. 

Also, he promised in the Psalms:

“In verdant pastures he gives me repose; besides restful water he leads me, he refreshes my soul.”

He himself is the Shepherd that we all need and long for. With Him, we have SECURITY. Because of Him, we lack nothing. Let us be like Jesus. Let us value what it really means to be a shepherd. Jesus showed that authority and power are not given for the benefit of the shepherd but for the good of the sheep.

Let me conclude this reflection with a prayer I found: 

"Lord, you guard and protect us from all evil.  Help us to stand firm in your word and to trust in your help in all circumstances.  May we always find rest and refuge in the shelter of your presence. Amen."  

-Iana Navarro