The return of the 12 Apostles

Our gospel reading last Sunday was about the Mission of the Twelve Apostles, who on their own drove out demons, anointed the sick with oil and cured them. Today’s gospel is about the return of the 12 apostles and their report to the Master.  You can read it in Mark 6:30-34.

30 The apostles gathered together with Jesus and reported all they had done and taught. 31 He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” People were coming and going in great numbers, and they had no opportunity even to eat. 32 So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place. 33 People saw them leaving and many came to know about it. They hastened there on foot from all the towns and arrived at the place before them. 34 When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.”

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In last Sunday’s gospel, our Lord Jesus Christ sends his 12 apostles on a mission to heal the sick and teach them the good news… and as they returned. Jesus knew that they worked very hard and were tired and weary. So he ordered them to go to a deserted place so they could rest. Mind you, there is a huge difference between a desert and a deserted place. When our Lord goes to the desert, he goes there to pray. But here he suggests that his apostles go to a deserted place so the crowds wouldn’t disturb them.

Even without being accompanied by our Lord Jesus Christ, the apostle’s mission was a huge success to the point that a crowd of people followed them and when they learned that the apostles took a boat and knew where they were headed… they even got there before the boat. But our Lord Jesus saw them and his Sacred Heart was moved with pity for they were like sheep without a shepherd and he began to teach them many things.

It just makes you wonder what the Pharisees and the Scribes have been teaching the Jews, especially about resting during the Sabbath. This brings us to what Matthew wrote about our Lord as the Lord of the Sabbath.

When Jesus and his disciples went through the grain fields on the Sabbath, they began to pick some heads of grain and the Pharisees saw this and questioned Jesus…”Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.” Our Lord replied “Haven’t you heard what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests.”

Our Lord continued to tell the Pharisees, “If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” God himself in the first chapters of Genesis rested after seven days of creating the universe. So resting on Sunday is God’s will. Perhaps you might ask yourselves, if Sunday is the day of rest, when do priests rest? After all, Sundays are the busiest day for them. There’s an old saying which goes, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”

So it is not surprising to see many priests play basketball or tennis, go jogging or bicycling. All these are part of their daily duties. A couple of years ago, I had the chance to meet with Sister Agnes of the Carmelites in Zamboanga City. She’s the nun that Pres. Benigno “PNoy” Aquino, III sought for spiritual advice before he ran for office. I thought we’d be talking much about what kind of advice she gave to PNoy, but instead, I got curious and we talked much about the life of a cloistered nun.

One thing that she taught me was that life inside the Carmelite Convent wasn’t as dull as what we think it is. She pointed out that they are not always in the chapel in prayer as they also have a lot of chores to do. But when they are at work… they know that they are offering it to the Lord. In short, they are always conscious of the fact that God is always with them even if they are not in prayer, or even when they are at play.

As St. Josemaria Escriva’ said in his book “The Way”, “We’ve got to be convinced that God is always near us. We live as though he were far away, in the heavens high above, and we forget that he is also continually by our side. He is there like a loving Father. He loves each one of us more than all the mothers in the world can love their children—helping us, inspiring us, blessing and forgiving.” If you didn’t know, the best way to rest is also found in scripture in Matt.11: 28-30, “[Jesus said,] Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” God bless you all!

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