Rest to Recover Relationship

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to reflect on the gift of Wisdom that we seek to apply in gratitude to our mission of compassion and care for all people.

Compassion for Cuba

The Reading from the First Letter of Kings presents the Early Promise of Solomon’s Reign.

* [3:1–15] The third major unit of the Solomon story depicts the bright beginning of his reign. It includes the narrator’s remarks about Solomon’s marriage and his building projects, and a divine appearance to Solomon. Compare 11:1–13, where the same themes recur, but in negative fashion. The story of the divine appearance is told also in 2 Chr 1:1–13. (1 Kings, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 119 delights in the law’s consolations and begs for wisdom to understand the precepts.

* [Psalm 119] This Psalm, the longest by far in the Psalter, praises God for giving such splendid laws and instruction for people to live by. The author glorifies and thanks God for the Torah, prays for protection from sinners enraged by others’ fidelity to the law, laments the cost of obedience, delights in the law’s consolations, begs for wisdom to understand the precepts, and asks for the rewards of keeping them. (Psalms, PSALM 119 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus interrupts the rest following the Return of the Twelve.

* [6:31–34] The withdrawal of Jesus with his disciples to a desert place to rest attracts a great number of people to follow them. Toward this people of the new exodus Jesus is moved with pity; he satisfies their spiritual hunger by teaching them many things, thus gradually showing himself the faithful shepherd of a new Israel; cf. Nm 27:17; Ez 34:15. (Mark, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB, n.d.)

Tom Lenz comments that what Jesus clearly taught his Apostles about dealing with stress is probably something we should pay attention to, as well. In our over-stimulated, constantly connected to electronic media-type world, Jesus teaches us to disengage from all the noise and retreat to a place where none of the distractions exist. It reminds me of Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God.” We don’t need fancy equipment and expensive technology. We just need to be still.

There is one more piece to this Gospel reading that I also found strikingly wonderful. The final sentence tells us that even though Jesus and the Apostles retreated from the crowds and stress, they/it followed them. They “disembarked and saw the vast crowd.” This is so relatable. Sometimes we are only able to retreat for a short time, but the stressors still exist – almost like they follow us wherever we go. But “his [Jesus] heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.” Through the grace of God, their compassion, strength, and motivation were renewed. God did not abandon them. God provided them with what they needed to feel renewed and to keep doing the good work. What wonderful comfort that gives us today. (Lenz, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “The good shepherd feeds us with the words of God,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"The pastures that this good shepherd has prepared for you, in which he has settled you for you to take your fill, are not various kinds of grasses and green things, among which some are sweet to the taste, some extremely bitter, which as the seasons succeed one another are sometimes there and sometimes not. Your pastures are the words of God and his commandments, and they have all been sown as sweet grasses. These pastures had been tasted by that man who said to God, 'How sweet are your words to my palate, more so than honey and the honeycomb in my mouth!' (Psalm 119:103)."(excerpt from Sermon 366.3) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Mark 6:30-34 comments that Jesus invites us every day to come away with him. He might even lead us to spend a longer time—maybe a day or half day—on retreat with him.

 He loves to pour his life into you, to mold your heart, and to give you his strength.

Every day is a new opportunity to say yes to Jesus’ invitation. Will you hear his voice calling you to “rest a while” with him? You could begin as soon as you finish reading this meditation! Tell the Lord about your hopes for the day ahead; share what’s weighing on your heart; thank him for being so close to you. And if you are able, think about how, sometime in the near future, you might set aside a few hours, or even a whole day, to come away with him. You could spend some time at a local shrine or other holy place, or you could attend a Lenten retreat at your parish. Explore what’s going on near you in the coming weeks. Whatever you do, let Jesus fill and restore you.

“Lord, fill me with your life and your love, and empower me to serve your people.” (Meditation on Mark 6:30-34, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that in 1 Kings Solomon goes to Gibeon and he dreams and he asks for wisdom so that he might rule the people well. Solomon became known as “the wisest of men”, with a knowledge of science, solutions to riddles, and even alchemy. Jesus takes the disciples to rest and it reminds us to pull back and recharge the batteries. Friar Jude notes that Jesus sees “sheep without a shepherd”, a role missing in the religious leaders of Israel, and a role that Jesus takes on personally and as a mission for His followers to care for the flock.

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Author J. Dana Trent who imagines the radical possibilities that could arise if we practiced communal Jubilee and Sabbath.

And Sabbath is practiced in community: “God did not give this commandment to a person but to a people, knowing that only those who rested together would be equipped to resist together,” Barbara Brown Taylor writes in The Christian Century. Keeping Sabbath not only prevents our own exhaustion but also defends against the exploitation of others.

Real Sabbath, Brown Taylor insists, is done in community each week and every seven years, Leviticus 25-style. Everyone and everything are affected: Land and animals are given rest; debts are forgiven; those who work in bondage (literally or metaphorically) are freed. It’s the kind of wild community cooperation we’ve come to expect from a triune God….

Sabbath as resistance is nearly impossible to practice in isolation. We must opt out of mammon to create new systems of care for the marginalized in our communities. Like Mohandas Gandhi’s satyagraha (“truth force”) movement, our positive duty is to create spaces that foster truth, love, nonviolence, fearlessness, tolerance, and the dissolution of the U.S. “caste” system. (Rohr, n.d.)

We implore the Spirit to sharpen our vision and understanding of the need for sabbath times to transform our somewhat distorted vision of the “good life” to see the people and situations we have excluded from our concerns.

References

Lenz, T. (n.d.). Daily Reflections. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved February 7, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-february-7-2026 

Mark, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 7, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/6?30 

Meditation on Mark 6:30-34. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved February 7, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/02/07/1495584/ 

1 Kings, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 7, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1kings/3?4 

Psalms, PSALM 119 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 7, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/119?9 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved February 7, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/sabbath-and-jubilee-economics-weekly-summary/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Come Away and Rest a While. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved February 7, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Dynasty and Decision

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to awareness of the culture of control and false praise that lead us to poor decisions.

Constitutional Decisions

The Reading from the Book of Sirach presents David as a type of Greek hero.

* [47:1–11] An idealized portrait of David; cf. 1 Chronicles. (Sirach, CHAPTER 47 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 18 has two parallel reports of rescue and a conclusion.

* [Psalm 18] A royal thanksgiving for a military victory, duplicated in 2 Sm 22. Thanksgiving Psalms are in essence reports of divine rescue. The Psalm has two parallel reports of rescue, the first told from a heavenly perspective (Ps 18:5–20), and the second from an earthly perspective (Ps 18:36–46). The first report adapts old mythic language of a cosmic battle between sea and rainstorm in order to depict God’s rescue of the Israelite king from his enemies. Each report has a short hymnic introduction (Ps 18:2–4, 32–36) and conclusion (Ps 18:21–31, 47–50). (Psalms, PSALM 18 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Mark presents The Death of John the Baptist.

* [6:14–16] The various opinions about Jesus anticipate the theme of his identity that reaches its climax in Mk 8:27–30.

* [6:14] King Herod: see note on Mt 14:1.

* [6:17–29] Similarities are to be noted between Mark’s account of the imprisonment and death of John the Baptist in this pericope, and that of the passion of Jesus (Mk 15:1–47). Herod and Pilate, each in turn, acknowledges the holiness of life of one over whom he unjustly exercises the power of condemnation and death (Mk 6:26–27; 15:9–10, 14–15). The hatred of Herodias toward John parallels that of the Jewish leaders toward Jesus. After the deaths of John and of Jesus, well-disposed persons request the bodies of the victims of Herod and of Pilate in turn to give them respectful burial (Mk 6:29; 15:45–46).

* [6:19] Herodias: see note on Mt 14:3. (Mark, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB, n.d.)

Jay Carney comments that even though he does not wish to kill John, Herod fears losing honor among the “leading men of Galilee”; reneging on a boastful oath would undermine his social status as a political “big man”; his celebratory banquet reeks of ostentatious wealth. He created a social situation in which he had “no other choice” than to kill John the Baptist.

But this, of course, is a rationalization. Herod stood at the apex of a social structure of sin that could not tolerate the prophetic challenges of John the Baptist’s of the world. In my own life, I, too, can justify many things from the place where I stand, or the prestige I need to protect, or my fears of losing face in front of family, friends, or colleagues. But this does not vacate my ethical and spiritual responsibility. For Ignatius, we may not always act out of a God-centered interior freedom, but we are still responsible moral agents. (Carney, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “The Weakness of the Tyrant and the Power of the Beheaded,” by John Chrysostom (347-407 AD).

"Note well the weakness of the tyrant compared to the power of the one in prison. Herod was not strong enough to silence his own tongue. Having opened it, he opened up countless other mouths in its place and with its help. As for John, he immediately inspired fear in Herod after his murder - for fear was disturbing Herod's conscience to such an extent that he believed John had been raised from the dead and was performing miracles (Mark 6:14-16)! In our own day and through all future time, throughout all the world, John continues to refute Herod, both through himself and through others. For each person repeatedly reading this Gospel says: 'It is not lawful for you to have the wife of Philip your brother' (Mark 6:18). And even apart from reading the Gospel, in assemblies and meetings at home or in the market, in every place... even to the very ends of the earth, you will hear this voice and see that righteous man even now still crying out, resounding loudly, reproving the evil of the tyrant. He will never be silenced nor the reproof at all weakened by the passing of time." (excerpt from ON THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD 22.8-9) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Sirach 47:2-11 comments that in the same way that the people of Israel used the psalms in both personal and liturgical prayer, we can use them in our daily prayer. When we turn away from God and need to ask for his mercy, prayers like Psalms 6 and 51 can help us to acknowledge our sin and offer us words to express our repentance to the Lord. And when we want to thank God and praise him for all his blessings, we can pray today’s psalm, for example, or any number of others that will inspire us to extol our faithful Lord.

So let the psalms inspire you with words of praise and thanksgiving. Let them fill your heart with the same joy that King David had. Today, you can join him and sing:

“Extolled be God my savior! (Psalm 18:47)” (Meditation on Sirach 47:2-11, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the theme of Sirach, written in the time when Greeks had conquered Israel. The traditions of Jews are presented as good as Greek traditions. and Jewish heroes were just as good too. Sirach speaks about the history of David trying to show a man of God. He avoids the sins that David had committed and as in Chronicles that tells history as it should have happened. King Herod tries to figure out who the Baptist is. John condemned the marriage of Herod and Herotius hated John the Baptist and sought the death of the Baptist. It is a warning to maintain the value of people over words. Friar Jude notes the disciples of John bury his body, but the “head” shows up in several places and a lot of things regarding “relics” are not as clear as they should be.

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces The Francis Factor, and activist Shane Claiborne who told a story about how his community’s study of Jubilee and their unexpected receipt of $10,000 in a legal settlement led to a creative action on Wall Street. 

Let’s have a Jubilee party and let’s do it on Wall Street.” We invited a bunch of homeless folks from all over New York, many of them friends, and we said, “Hey, we’re going to go to Wall Street and we’re going to give away the money that we won in a lawsuit.

We preached it that morning and then Sister Margaret [a Catholic sister] announced the Jubilee, blew the ram’s horn, and money started pouring out everywhere. I mean, we had people on the balconies with paper money. They start pouring it out…. It was beautiful. They’re singing. This one … street sweeper, he’s got his dustpan filled with money. He’s like, “It is a good day at work. Hallelujah!” Another guy grabs some money off the street and he said, “Now I can get the prescription I needed. Thank you.” We even had folks from inside Wall Street that heard about what was happening. They said, “We heard that there’s more fun happening out here, so we’re here.” One guy just said, “I want to start getting bagels and giving them out,” and he did. It was contagious….

I think that in the end, our goal is not to create enemies but is actually to courageously proclaim the vision of God that is so big that everyone is welcome. But it also means, as Desmond Tutu says, that those who have been oppressed are free from oppression, and those who have done the oppressing are free from being the oppressor, that everyone is set free. [1] That’s the invitation for us. (Rohr, n.d.)

Catholic theologian David Deane talks with Jeff Douglas, on CBC Mainstreet, about why so many American Christians support US President Donald Trump in spite of his sins. Deane cites the Biblical King David as a source of the American belief that good can come from evil actions by our leaders.

We ask the Spirit to enhance our awareness of the paths of oppression, greed, and violence that may be subtle in our culture as we proclaim Jesus' love and freedom for all.

References

Carney, J. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved February 6, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-february-6-2026 

Mark, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 6, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/6? 

Meditation on Sirach 47:2-11. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved February 6, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/02/06/1495019/ 

Psalms, PSALM 18 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 6, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/18?31 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. CAC.org. Retrieved February 6, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/jubilee-action-on-wall-street/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Herod's Guilty Conscience. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved February 6, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Sirach, CHAPTER 47 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 6, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/sirach/47?2