Gospel: Mark 6:30-34
At that time, the apostles gathered with Jesus and told him everything they had done and taught. He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. So they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. As he stepped ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things.

Fruit: I am a Christian, even during holidays.

Guidelines for reflection:
Summer, holidays, rest… These are the most common words in these weeks. As human beings, after work, after studying hard, we want to enjoy a well-deserved vacation, a few peaceful days, rest, repose. Jesus gives us a very appropriate lesson for these days in today’s Gospel.

1. The human image of Jesus
The apostles have just returned from their first apostolic journeys. They have walked along the dusty paths of Judea preaching the Kingdom of God, healing many sick people, and preparing the way for Jesus’ preaching. They return happy but also tired. They are like us: after work, effort, and struggle, we want to rest. Jesus Christ, as a true man, must have also felt this need to rest. The Gospel shows us a very beautiful detail of his personality: he detects the fatigue of his apostles and wants to give them a few days of rest. He knows that men need to rest, and he invites them, “Let us go to the other side… for vacation, to regain the strength spent during the intense work.” How human you are, Jesus! How well you know this man you have come to save!

2. Apostle full-time
They get into the boat and start their vacation, vacation for the apostles and also for Jesus. But when they arrive at their destination, they find a large crowd eager to hear the Teacher’s preaching. What a dilemma! The apostles want to rest, Jesus too, but those men and women want to hear Jesus’ word; they are hungry and thirsty for God. The love Jesus has for men is greater than his desire to rest. And he begins to teach them calmly and delicately, the wonders of God’s love. His human heart, which experiences fatigue, experiences even more strongly the love for man: he wants to do good, to do good to me, and he doesn’t care if he has to forget himself, give up his preferences, even legitimate ones, and give himself entirely to me. Let us thank Jesus Christ for this selfless love, and imitate him, even in these days of our well-deserved rest.

Purpose: I will serve my family with joy and selflessness during these holidays.