16th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) - 21 July
21st July 2024
“Our hearts were made for You, O Lord, and they are restless until they rest in You.” - St Augustine of Hippo
A reflection on today's scriptural readings by the Venerable Archbishop Fulton J Sheen:
"The Gospel tells us that Our Blessed Lord withdrew Himself from the crowds into the wilderness and prayed. Martha, who was too busy about many things, was told that only one thing was necessary. A life of faith with peace of soul can be cultivated only by periodical isolation from the cares of the world.
"There are various kinds of weariness: weariness of the body, which can be satisfied under any tree or even on a pillow of stone; weariness of the brain, which needs the incubation of rest for new thought to be born; but the hardest of all to satisfy is weariness of heart, which can be healed only by communion with God.
"Silence helps speech; retirement helps thinking.
"What the Saviour promises in the retirement is ‘rest for your souls.’ Rest is a gift; it is not earned; it is not the payment for finishing a job; it is the dowry of grace. Greed, envy, wealth and avarice think of rest in terms of the good things of the world; true rest is the stilling of passions, the control of wavering ambitions, the joy of a quiet conscience. There is no rest until life has been made intelligible. Most of the restlessness of souls today comes from not knowing why they are here, or where they are going, and they refuse to take time out to solve that problem. Until it is solved, nothing is solved. There is not even much sense in going on living unless one knows why he is living.
"Driving power is always associated with inner repose; otherwise energy is explosiveness and imprudent action. They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. The renewal of strength is less physical than it is spiritual. A tired soul makes a tired body more often than a tired body makes a tired soul. The rest which Christianity enjoins is less cessation from work than it is freedom from the anxieties that come from guilt and avarice. Spiritual refreshment in prayer, retreat, and meditation are the most potent influences for restoring harmony to the thousands of nervous patients. Life, like music, must have its rhythm of silence as well as sound.
"The rest which retirement and contemplation give is not just a rest from toil, but it is even a rest in toil. The peace of Christ is not a hot-house plant; it raises its head for storms; it is peace for the battle and joy of conscience for those who assail conscience. The world cannot give it; the world cannot take it away. It is not given by outward circumstance; it rules in the heart; it is an inward state. To be spiritually minded is to have rest."
(Way to Happiness)
Rest in God Above All Things (Thomas à Kempis)
Above all things and in all things rest, my soul, in the Lord, your God, for He is the eternal rest of the Angels and Saints. O most loving Jesus, give me this special grace to rest in You above all created things; above all health and beauty, above all glory and honour, above all dignity and power, above all knowledge and prudence, above all riches and talents, above all joy and gladness, above all fame and praise, above all sweetness and consolation, above all hope and promise, above all merit and desire, above all gifts and rewards that You may give or send - except Yourself - above all joy or happiness that the human mind and heart can grasp or feel; above Angels and Archangels, above all the heavenly hosts as well; above all things visible and invisible, and above all that is not You, my God.
For You alone, O Lord God, are the greatest good; You alone are most high and most mighty; You alone are most sufficient and perfect; You alone are most sweet and consoling. You alone are most fair and loving, You alone are most noble and most glorious above all things. In You all good things are found existing in all their perfection, and have always been, and always shall be.
Therefore, anything You give me besides Yourself, anything You reveal or promise me concerning Yourself, is all too little and insufficient for me; because my heart cannot rest nor fully be content until it rises above all Your gifts and all You have created, and rests in You.
O Jesus Christ, most loving Spouse, most pure Lover, Ruler of all creation, who will give me wings of perfect freedom to fly to You and in You to repose? When shall I be fully granted the perfect liberty to see how sweet You are, O Lord, my God? When shall I be so perfectly recollected in You as not to be aware of myself, but only You, above all the things of sense, in a way not known to all?
But now how often I sigh and complain of the miseries of this life. I daily meet with many evils in this vale of miseries, which often trouble me, sadden me and darken my way; they often hinder and distract me, lure and ensnare me, preventing me from going freely to You, from enjoying the sweet embrace always granted to Your blessed spirits. Let my sighs and many desolations move Your heart and incline You to hear me.
O Jesus, light and brightness of eternal glory, the joy and consolation of all Christians who labour as pilgrims in this sinful world, no words can express the desires of my heart; but let my very silence speak to You and say: How long, O Lord, will You delay Your coming?
I trust that You will come soon to Your poor servant, make me joyful and deliver me from all my troubles. Come to me, dear Lord, for no day or hour is happy without You.
Your works are good, Your judgements are wise and true, and Your Providence governs all things. Praise and glory be to You, O Wisdom of the Father! Let my tongue, my soul, and all created things praise and bless You.