Saturday February 5, 2022

Saturday of 4th Week in Ordinary Time

 

AGATHA, Virgin and Martyr

 St. Agatha, “the good one,” patroness of Sicily, refused marriage to dedicate herself to her fellow Christians by doing diaconal work at a time of persecution, especially care of the sick and of the poor. She was denounced and tortured to death in 251, at the time of Emperor Decius. Threats and torture could not sway her.

 

First Reading: 1 Kings 3:4-14 

The king went to Gibeon, the most prestigious of the local shrines, to worship. He sacrificed a thousand Whole-Burnt-Offerings on that altar. That night, there in Gibeon, God appeared to Solomon in a dream: God said, “What can I give you? Ask.”

Solomon said, “You were extravagantly generous in love with David my father, and he lived faithfully in your presence, his relationships were just and his heart right. And you have persisted in this great and generous love by giving him—and this very day!—a son to sit on his throne.

 “And now here I am: God, my God, you have made me, your servant, ruler of the kingdom in place of David my father. I’m too young for this, a mere child! I don’t know the ropes, hardly know the ‘ins’ and ‘outs’ of this job. And here I am, set down in the middle of the people you’ve chosen, a great people—far too many to ever count.

 “Here’s what I want: Give me a God-listening heart so I can lead your people well, discerning the difference between good and evil. For who on their own is capable of leading your glorious people?”

God, the Master, was delighted with Solomon’s response. And God said to him, “Because you have asked for this and haven’t grasped after a long life, or riches, or the doom of your enemies, but you have asked for the ability to lead and govern well, I’ll give you what you’ve asked for—I’m giving you a wise and mature heart. There’s never been one like you before; and there’ll be no one after. As a bonus, I’m giving you both the wealth and glory you didn’t ask for—there’s not a king anywhere who will come up to your mark. And if you stay on course, keeping your eye on the life-map and the God-signs as your father David did, I’ll also give you a long life.”

 

Gospel: Mark 6:30-34 

The apostles then rendezvoused with Jesus and reported on all that they had done and taught. Jesus said, “Come off by yourselves; let’s take a break and get a little rest.” For there was constant coming and going. They didn’t even have time to eat.

So they got in the boat and went off to a remote place by themselves. Someone saw them going and the word got around. From the surrounding towns people went out on foot, running, and got there ahead of them. When Jesus arrived, he saw this huge crowd. At the sight of them, his heart broke—like sheep with no shepherd they were. He went right to work teaching them

 

Prayer

Lord God,
your Son Jesus warned his followers
that for his sake they would be persecuted.
But he told us not to be afraid,
for he would let his Spirit
put in our mouths what to say.
May we, like St. Agatha,
bear witness to our faith
with our whole being,
without hesitation or doubt or fear,
for you are with us through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

Reflection:

Please! Go and Rest!

I think, this is what the Lord is telling me and many of us today: “You are busying yourself on unnecessary things. You don’t have sufficient rest, and you spoil yor health – of body and mind. Please, go and rest!”

We are living in a busy world. Often, too busy with our work, our struggles for climbing up the ladder, or even genuine efforts to be at the service of others. Our busy schedules are often at the cost of our relationship with the family, our own health and more importantly, at the cost of our relationship with the Lord.

Jesus tried to make a retreat, but he couldn’t get away. Does it sound familiar? God reveals the nature of a concerned Father and invites us to rest, amidst our frenzy life and work in this busy world. He tells his disciples: “Go off by yourselves to a remote place to have some rest.”

“Go and rest,” the Lord invites us. What would he say to us today? He might say, “You poor thing, you are wrecked from overwork! Like the seventy-two, you hardly have time to eat! The world hasn’t got any wiser in twenty centuries. My friend, please go and rest!” In today’s reading we see the Twelve returning from their mission. Obviously, they had not done anything similar earlier. He told them they needed to rest: to rest and to be silent.

We find Jesus himself moving away for his personal time – time with the Father. Scattered here and there through the gospels are verses that tell us volumes about Jesus on his retreat. “When daylight came he left the house and made his way to a lonely place” (Lk 4:42). Another is Mk 1:35, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” See also Lk 5:16, “He would always go off to some place where he could be alone and pray.” And Lk 6:12, “He went out into the hills to pray, and he spent the whole night in prayer to God.”

How busy are you today? Why not take a break… Go with the Lord for a time of rest!

 

Video available on Youtube: Please! Go and Rest!