Earlier this month, I was truly blessed with a wonderful week! There were two weddings with beautiful receptions. In the midst of it were a couple of Fourth of July parties hosted by priests. And after all that was a party for my dad’s 70th birthday—hosted at the rectory. Five days in a row of celebrating so many things. It was wonderful and exciting! But by the end of it all, when I woke up on the Monday morning, I felt tired and exhausted. Duh!
The next day, Tuesday, was my day away (thankfully). I stopped by my grandpa’s house, walked up his driveway and noticed the winter wheat had just been harvested. It made me think about farming for a moment and how farmers even rest their land from time to time. Sometimes, farmers let a field go fallow for a season and do not grow any crops on it. It is a way to rest the land. And when the land rests, instead of constantly producing, it is given a chance to rejuvenate. The minerals and nutrients that were lost in all the demands of production begin to replenish themselves.
In the gospel, Jesus meets with His apostles and hears about all the wonderful things they did in His name. Other people were coming in need and they didn’t even have time to eat as they were helping them, so Jesus says, “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” So they did. Even though Jesus gave them power to teach, heal and deliver, they still needed time to heal themselves. He charged them to go away and rest.
Every time this gospel comes our way, I ask, “When was the last time you went on a retreat? A poustinia? A walk at the park?” We need time to rest. We need time to rejuvenate. For me, sometimes it just takes nine holes walking by myself on a golf course to get me back to my true self. Priests are actually required by canon law to go on an annual retreat. Last year, my retreat was canceled as the retreat house was closed. I could tell the difference within my soul because of it. This year, I already have it on the calendar for the third week of November. Do you have your retreat already scheduled? If you have a big family, be creative. Ask your relatives to help out so you can even get one day away to be renewed by Jesus. We all need it.
Peace,
Fr. Jeremy
