THE WORD
1 Kgs 3,4-13 / Mk 6,30-34
The apostles gathered together with Jesus and reported all they had done and taught. He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” People were coming and going in great numbers, and they had no opportunity even to eat. So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place.
People saw them leaving and many came to know about it. They hastened there on foot from all the towns and arrived at the place before them. When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.
IN OTHER WORDS
Fr. Mark Link, SJ, in his Daily Homilies (Mark Link, SJ, Daily Homilies, St. Pauls Press Training School, Bandra, Mumbai 400,050, 1997) shared the experience and nding of Dr. W. R. Luxton, saying: “I cannot overstate the importance of the habit of quiet meditation for health of body, mind and spirit. Modern man’s life is grossly abnormal. We have neither time nor opportunity for quiet…
We need to explore our lives...as we sit quietly and unhurried in his presence.” Eckhart Tolle in his little book, Stillness Speaks (Eckhart Tolle, Namaste Publishing & New World Library, Vancouver, Canada/Navaro, California, 2003) said something deep regarding quietude and stillness: “When you lose touch with inner stillness, you lose touch with yourself. When you lose touch with yourself, you lose yourself in the world. Your innermost sense of self, of who you are, is inseparable from stillness.
This is the I Am that is deeper than name and form…Stillness is your essential nature.” Jesus knew the need for quiet meditation. He made it a matter of course to isolate Himself to commune with His Father, and in today’s Gospel, invites His disciples to do the same. Do we spend some time to commune with our Most Loving Father in our day to day lives?
- Fr. Fred Mislang, SVD | VCR, CKMS, Quezon City
The Word in other words 2016
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
