Homily – Sunday, the 21^st July 2024

Reading: Mark 6:31

We have had several discussions about the commandments of Jesus. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul, Love your neighbor as yourself, Wash each other’s feet, Do unto others what you want them to do unto you… the list can go on.

Have we ever seriously thought of this command of Jesus- Come with me to a quiet place and get some rest.

Are we taking care of the well-being of yourself and those who are part of your web of relationships by ensuring that you have adequate rest and there is a balance between work and relaxation- both being very important. When the balance tilts to either side it either becomes workaholism or laziness.

“If I could start all over again”- This was the theme at a discussion in an elderly people’s home that I once visited.

Some statements that caught might attention were

I would slow down and make more time for things that matter more ultimately!

I would spend more quality time with my spouse, children and dear ones

I would spend more time with God enjoying the bliss of being in the presence of God meditating and relishing the silence

I would open my eyes to see the needs of others, open my ears to listen and open my arms to help much more than I did

If only I had another life!!!

The story is said about William a young boy who was too busy with life doing nothing. One day he realized that he was already in Pearly Gates and the angel of the Lord told him to look at his village down below. He saw an elderly lady counting- one and two and three… its ten days since someone walked in and had a word with me. Loneliness is too daunting, and I am tired. William thought- O I never thought of her. I could have always gone and said hello. I never thought of her. If only I had another life

In the next house were two kids hungry and crying. The mother is expectantly looking out of the window hoping her husband would come. But he was squandering his earnings in an alcohol shop. William thought I could have surely helped the children with a day’s meal. If only I had another life

Each sight he saw was of missed opportunities to reach out, to live life more fully. Each time he said. I could have. If only I had another life.

The story ends with someone waking William from his dream and asking What would you do if you had a second chance with your life.

He did not anwer but his response was the formation of a movement like the Salvation Army.

Sometimes we are too busy not doing anything significant.

What is Life after all? – Life is that which happens in between when we are busy planning and doing different things. We sometimes miss living life just because we are too busy to appreciate the beauty of life.

Despite being warned about the barrenness of busy lives as Socrates once did people continue to fall into the trap of being too busy. Being busy is a malady of our time. The word busy is the silliest excuse that people find to hide their inability to be good spouses, good parents, good children, good colleagues. We are often told- life is not a rat race, even if you achieve several things what is the meaning of still being a rat losing out on much more precious things.

Søren Kierkegaard said “Of all ridiculous things the most ridiculous seems to me, is to be busy … What, I wonder, do these busy folks get done at the end of the day?”

Busy remaking the world people forget to make themselves.

“Busyness is, at its core, about misplaced priorities.” We must also remember that “Our gadgets have become weapons of mass distraction.” People have learned to be too busy without doing a thing, just spending time with their gadgets. With Artificial Interlligence giving way to Generative Intelligence people fail to foresee how work culture is being redefined around us. We had warning signials this week that soft ware snags has the potential of shutting us down.

Here in this passage of Mark it was a happening day. With so many people around Jesus and his discisples did not even have a chance to eat. Have we experienced such hillarious situations in life. Jesus looks at them and says- Come let us go to a quite place. You better have some rest.

The Greek word used is anapauseste which is from the root pause. Often translated rest or refresh it a call to pause. To stop. To slow down. To rest.

What is rest?

At our last young adults gathering we discussed on the theme “rest”. One refrain that we heard was – as much as we love to have rest, we are all so busy that we cannot find time for rest. We work and over work and forget that rest is as important.

We looked at the biblical understanding of rest and sabath, where everyone was by law given rest – including the slave and the land.

Bishop William Moses the former Primate of the Church of South India passed away last night. He was my Chairperson when I was the Youth Secretary of the CSI Synod. When Molly and I were married I was given an appartment in the same floor of the building as my office. Bishop Moses said- Once the office closes at 5 don’t be tempted to come back to work. Never take work home. Remember your wife has the right to have you and your prime time.

He always reminded- Saturdays is not a holiday it is a rest day. Both of you together chill out. In case you have to work on a Saturday make it a point to take a day off in lieu. Never forget your own well being and the well being of your spouse and family.

Don’t attempt too many things, but what ever you do, do well.

Work is elastic, it will keep expanding and you need the courage to be in charge to regulate it. Overdoing might bring some temporary gains but never forget the larger picture.

Rest is essential for Physical well being

It is a fact that our bodies need rest. Our muscles and tissues need proper care, repair and rejuvenation lest it wears down too soon.

“Burnout is more of an issue of poor self management or energy management and low clarity of priorities rather than of over-giving or over-investing.” – Brendon Burchard

“Renewal is what happens when you realize that some of this stuff you’ve been carrying around doesn’t matter ultimately” — Rob Bell

Proper rest strengthens our immune systems and enhances productivity and performance

Rest is essential for mental well being

Proper rest invariably reduces stress, anxiety and depression disorders and provides a stable mental health possibility.

We have heard much of mental breakdowns. It is natural. It happens. But sometimes we forget proper nourishment and care of the mind. Our minds primarily need enough rest too.

It is scientifically proven that rest improves our cognitive functions including our concentration, memory and problem-solving skills.

Not all mental health issues are work related. But several triggers to undiagnosed mental fatigue is surely related to our failure in regulating work.

Rest is essential for emotional well being

Each person deserves happiness, peace and a tranquil mind. But often we find people in emotional turmoil.

A study was done on the mood swings of people and one of the findings was that for people who had a regular pattern of proper rest issues with mood swings was not that common. Their quality of life was much better. The control over their emotions like anger were much stronger. They knew to express love much better.

Adequate rest enhances our social interactions and strengthens empathy. We become more patient, understanding and connecting and willing to foster healthier relationships.

Several of our homes today have become midsummer nightmares. Happiness is even evading our dreams.

We need to pause, rest, refresh and start fresh again.

Rest is essential for spiritual well being

Look at the words of Jesus again- Come with me to a quiet place and rest for a while. This invitation to quietness with Jesus is something we need to seriously understand.

The Quiet time is the time you spent with your creator, in silence, in the bliss of solitude trying to figure out God’s plan and purposes in our lives.

Rest is an act of faith. It means knowing God will sustain us even when we pause. It is an act of surrender trusting that our strength comes from the Lord. Psalm 127:2 reminds us- in vain you rise up early and go to be bed very late, he grants sleep to those whom he loves.

It has been the testimony of several people who enjoyed the time with God and found serving the least, lost and the last as akin to serving God that whatever be our needs- our God shall supply all our needs according to his riches and glory. And it is here we note what Paul says, I have learned to be equally satisfied in richness and in want.

This is no way belittling the importance of work but is pointing at the boundaries required in our personal and professional lives to ensure we have enough time to rest. Spiritual health is as important. It becomes your radar, the compass and the anchor in tumultuous seas. We need to make time to be alone with the alone. We need to make quality time for family prayer and corporate worship should be our family discipline.

Rest is essential for relational well being

It is a hard fact of life that however much we invest in a relationship sometimes the rupture is so intense that mending seems out of question. But if we seriously ponder over the reasons for the rupture in many cases the pointer would be towards ourselves that we failed to nurture the relationship. We failed to give each other quality time, restful time.

One of the secrets of a happy marriage is resting together. One of the success mantras of happy parenting is quality time with kids. One of the ingredients of a strong relationship is quality time with the other- RESTING together and not being BUSY.

Ovid once said- Take rest. A field that is well rested gives bountiful crop. We must also not forget that rest is sometimes the doorway through which we let out love and let it come in.

Sometimes we reach a situation where we struggle to like each other. It would have started with our starting disliking being with each other.

Rest is essential for social well being

Rest for the slave, Rest for animals and Rest for the land were essential ingredients of the sabbath and the jubilee concepts. It is not just cessation from all forms of work reflecting God’s rest of the seventh day. It is a time for spiritual renewal, a time for family and community celebrating together. It is a time of worship, reflection and expression of gratitude. It is a powerful pointer to social justice that everyone deserves rest. Traditionally sabbath was marked by joyful sharing of meals along with being a time for sanctification and rejuvenation.

Social well-being is being able to engage in the well-being of the other. What stops most people from doing that is not that they do not want to but they do not have the time to. Several people long for a sense of belonging, respect and inclusion and unless we have time we would not be able to offer that.

Conclusion

Work and Rest are both important. There is virtue in both. Cherish both. Overlook neither. Never forget rest is as important. To lie sometimes on the grass under the tree on a summer day, listening to the murmur of the waters, the chirping of the birds, watching the clouds float is in fact investment in your life. Try doing it together with your spouse, your children, your friends. Enjoy it.

Be also warned that planning a vacation for a good rest could be the busiest thing you could do and living out the itinerary of a meticulously planned vacation is sometimes No Rest at all.

Jesus tells us today- Yes each one of us- Let us go together to a quiet place and he calls you- COME AND TAKE REST.

Vinod Victor