The Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (22nd July 2018)

Jer 23: 1-6; Ps 23:1-6; Eph 2:13-17; Mk.6:30-34

Theme: Sabbath Moments

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The apostles returned from their first public ministry. Gathered and reunited with Jesus and each other, they shared what they had done and taught. Jesus invited them to “Come away to a deserted place and rest for a while.” Their rhythm of life had been filled with intense activity, attending to the needs of the people. Jesus then redirected their attention back to an essential element of being able to participate well in his mission, simply being, seeking time and space for solitude and rest.

 

Rest and renewal are important elements in witnessing to a life of holiness, of wholeness. In the Jewish tradition, the observance of Sabbath exemplifies this. Heschel writes, “He who wants to enter the holiness of the day must first lay down the profanity of clattering commerce, of being yoked to toil. He must go away from the screech of dissonant days, from the nervousness and fury of acquisitiveness and the betrayal in embezzling his own life. He must say farewell to manual work and learn to understand that the world has already been created and will survive without the help of man. Six days a week we wrestle with the world, wringing profit from the earth; on the Sabbath we especially care for the seed of eternity planted in the soul.” (Heschel, 23).

 

Jesus seems to echo the essence of Sabbath in his invitation to the apostles. His emphasis on coming away and resting, could be likened to having Sabbath moments in the midst of the demands of their apostolic activities. There has to be a rhythmic balance of engagement and rest in the life of a person living for God.

Our days can be filled with everything and anything but a time to pause, rest and relax. It is so easy to spend our time running from one task to another, until the day leaves. As a new day dawns, we pick up from where we left off the day before. Yet soon enough, our mind and body force us to seek moments of quiet and calm, often, if not always, we end up getting sick, forcing us altogether to stop from being able to do anything.

 

“God makes me lie down in green pastures; God leads me beside still waters. God restores my soul leading me in right paths for God’s name sake.” (Psalm 23:2-4). The psalmist reminds us that rest is from God and as we respond to the invitation to take rest in our lives, we glorify God. We are invited to revisit again the beauty of resting, honoring Sabbath moments, seeing it as moments where we can be united with God, who, too rested. Together we marvel at the whole of creation, taking a glimpse of eternity. As we enter deeply into this healing rest, we are restored and reconnected with all there is, was and will ever be.

 

For Reflection and Discussion: [1] How important is it for you to safeguard our days of rest amidst the demands of our daily activities? [2] How can you incorporate Sabbath moments into your days?

 

Bibliography:  Heschel, The Sabbath: Its Meaning for Modern Man (New York, 1994)

 

This week’s teaching commentary was prepared by

Weeyaa Villanueva, RNDM, Davao, Philippines, Bat Kol alum 2010

weeyaavillanueva@gmail.com

[Copyright © 2018]

 

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PLEASE NOTE: The weekly Gospel commentaries represent the research and creative thought of their authors, and are meant to stimulate deeper thinking about the meaning of the Sunday Scriptures. While they draw upon the study methods and sources employed by the Bat Kol Institute, the views and conclusions expressed in these commentaries are solely those of their authors, and do not necessarily represent the views of Bat Kol.  Questions, comments and feedback are always welcome.

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Bat Kol Institute for Jewish Studies, Jerusalem

1983-2018

“Christians Studying the Bible within its Jewish milieu, using Jewish Sources.”

Mail to:gill@batkol.info Website:www.batkol.info