Lord’s Day Reflection: Come and Rest

By Father Marion Nguyen, OSB *

Saint Gregory exhorts the pastor: “Let the pastor, preoccupied with external things, not become complacent in his concern for the interior life, and let not his concern for the interior life cause us to forget the exterior life” (Pastoral II; 7). This Sunday’s Gospel poignantly manifests this call to balance prayer and ministry. When the disciples return and tell them all they have done and taught, to the point of neglecting to eat, Jesus invites them: “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while” (Mk 6:31). This rest in the presence of Jesus is directly linked to the compassion of the heart for the crowd at the time of disembarkation: “His heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd” (Mk 6:34).

When the pastor neglects the interior life, it eventually manifests itself in active ministry and begins to resemble Jeremiah’s description of bad shepherds, “who lead astray and scatter the flock” and “do not care for them” (Jer 23:1-2). Instead of compassion and zeal, the pastor withers away as a leader and consequently the members will have no vigor, says St. Gregory. Slowly, his preaching will not elevate the spirit and his warning will not reduce faults because his preoccupation with earthly things has stirred up the dust of the earth and blinded him. Even the good works accomplished will lose all merit because, although they were done in the name of the Master, the false prophets will receive the solemn declaration: “I never knew you. Depart from me, you who work evil” (Mt 7:23; cf. Ps 6:9).

Jesus himself exemplified this balance between interior life and ministry, for Scripture records many times when Jesus prayed: at his baptism (Lk 3:21), when he withdrew from the crowd (Lk 5:16), after healing the sick and the possessed (Mk 1:35), before choosing the Twelve (Lk 6:12), and at the Transfiguration (Lk 9:29). At one of these times, a disciple noticed Jesus praying and came to him and asked, “Teacher, teach us to pray” (Lk 11:1).

The need to balance action and contemplation is a necessity for everyone, but especially for those who have the responsibility of caring for others. I remember an episode during my seminary years in Rome that confirmed the importance and beauty of prayer. It was the first time I entered St. Peter’s Basilica and contemplated Michelangelo’s statue. Devotion. I was struck by its beauty, especially by Mary’s face. Instead of an expression of pain and agony, her face exudes tranquility, reflection and purity. Because of the distance and angle, I could not see the face of Jesus. As I left the basilica, I entered the Libreria Ancora, just outside the colonnades, looking for a book on the Devotion. With close-up photos of the DevotionI was able to contemplate the beauty of the faces of Jesus and Mary; they are exquisite. I returned to the seminary and in the evening, the rector gave a conference on prayer, telling this story: “It is said that Saint John Vianney, the curate of Ars in France, often saw a peasant sitting at the back of the parish church. The saint had noticed that the peasant spent long periods there before the Eucharist. Finally, one day, the saint asked him what he did during his time of adoration. The peasant simply replied: “I look at him and he looks at me.”

* Abbot of the Abbey of Saint-Martin
Lacey, Washington