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/ 

Hearing and Doing

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to be people who demonstrate the words we proclaim through the actions in which we are involved.

From Word to Action

The Reading from the Prophet Joel presents The Lord’s Case Against the Nations.

* [4:2] Valley of Jehoshaphat: one of the symbolic names of the place of punishment for Judah’s enemies; the other is “Valley of Decision” (v. 14). The name Jehoshaphat means “the Lord judges.” If the popular identification of this place as the Kidron Valley is accurate, Joel may imagine the Lord seated above the valley on Mount Zion directing his troops in the destruction of nations in the valley below.

* [4:4–8] This prose material may be a later addition to the book. It illustrates a common biblical theme (cf. Ps 7:16; 9:16; 35:8; 37:14–15; 57:7), having one’s evil deed (selling Judahites into slavery) turned into one’s own punishment (being sold into slavery by the Judahites).

* [4:8] Sabeans: traders from the southwestern tip of the Arabian peninsula, present-day Yemen (cf. 1 Kgs 10:1–2; Ps 72:10; Jer 6:20).

* [4:10] The Lord directs the troops to forge military weapons out of the agricultural tools necessary for life during peacetime. In Is 2:4 and Mi 4:3, both in contexts presuming the defeat of Israel’s enemies, this imagery is reversed.

* [4:13] Their crimes are numerous: the nations are ripe for punishment. Joel uses the vocabulary of the autumn grape harvest to describe the assault of the Lord’s army against these nations. In Is 63:1–6, grape harvest imagery also controls the description of the Lord’s return from Edom with blood-spattered clothing after having trod his enemies into the ground as if they were grapes (cf. Jer 25:30).

* [4:17] Then you will know: this verse further develops the motif of knowledge introduced in 2:27. The Judahites will learn that the Lord is present in their economic prosperity and political autonomy, even though they did not associate God’s presence with their crop failure.

* [4:18] Images of agricultural abundance illustrate the harmony and order Joel expects the Lord to establish in Judah; like 2:18–27, this section reverses the deprivation and drought of chap. 1. A spring…house of the LORD: streams of water flowing from the Temple of an ideal Jerusalem also appear in Ez 47:1. The Valley of Shittim: or “the ravine of the acacia trees”; while there is a Shittim east of the Jordan, the reference here is probably to that rocky part of the Kidron Valley southeast of Jerusalem, an arid region where acacia trees flourished. (Joel, CHAPTER 4, n.d.)

Psalm 97 rejoices in the overthrowing of idol worshipers.

* [Psalm 97] The hymn begins with God appearing in a storm, a traditional picture of some ancient Near Eastern gods (Ps 97:1–6); cf. Ps 18:8–16; Mi 1:3–4; Heb 3:3–15. Israel rejoices in the overthrowing of idol worshipers and their gods (Ps 97:7–9) and the rewarding of the faithful righteous (Ps 97:10–12). (Psalms, PSALM 97, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus exhorts us to True Blessedness

* [11:27–28] The beatitude in Lk 11:28 should not be interpreted as a rebuke of the mother of Jesus; see note on Lk 8:21. Rather, it emphasizes (like Lk 2:35) that attentiveness to God’s word is more important than biological relationship to Jesus. (Luke, CHAPTER 11, n.d.)

Margo Minnich comments that we hear Jesus say, “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.” These words focus the listener on the deep reality of discipleship. Intimacy with God is not about proximity to Him, but about participation in His work. This is a personal call to be not just a listener but a doer of the Word.

We can connect these seemingly disparate readings by considering how our lives dedicated to the Word of God allow us to dwell in His refuge. God’s protection comes in our relationship sustained by faith and fidelity to God’s teachings. Saint Ignatius reminds us that love is shown more in our actions than in words.

To “observe” God’s word is to let it challenge us to act in ways that preference God’s glory over our own comfort, and to align our daily actions with His teaching. Today’s readings present God as both our refuge and our mission. 

We can begin our prayer today in gratitude, recalling a time when God has been a refuge to us personally. We can then listen for Jesus’ invitation to live his word by asking ourselves, “Where is God calling me to act today? How can I serve as His refuge for others today?” (Minnich, 2025)

Don Schwager quotes “Blessings for hearing and keeping the Word,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"Mary was more blessed in accepting the faith of Christ than in conceiving the flesh of Christ. To someone who said, 'Blessed is the womb that bore you,' he replied, 'Rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it.' Finally, for his brothers, his relatives according to the flesh who did not believe in him, of what advantage was that relationship? Even her maternal relationship would have done Mary no good unless she had borne Christ more happily in her heart than in her flesh." (excerpt from HOLY VIRGINITY 3.1) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 11:27-28 invites us to join the company of saints and angels in heaven every time you say no to temptation and yes to Jesus. Francis of Assisi, Thérèse of Lisieux, Augustine, Mother Teresa, and all the rest rejoice. So does Mary, our mother!

But what’s even more amazing is that your yes to God, offered with faith and acceptance, is no less valuable in God’s eyes than the yes offered by every saint. It’s no less valuable than Mary’s own yes to the angel. That’s how much he loves you.

“Lord, help me to stay focused on listening to your word and keeping it with all my heart!” (Meditation on Luke 11:27-28, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the reading from Joel about the Day of the Lord that declares people will receive what they deserve. God will take care of Zion while the enemies are punished. The remnant of the exile will live in God’s peace. Blessed womb and breast and blessed are those who hear the Word and obey it. In Luke, Mary, the perfect disciple, is one who did hear the Word and obeyed it through her trust in God’s promise. Friar Jude notes that when we live as Catholics we commit ourselves to trust in God in the events of our lives.

Fr. Mike Schmitz points out how advice from books like Proverbs and Sirach may not apply perfectly to every situation, but are meant to help guide us towards wisdom. He also highlights a piece from Sirach that encourages us to avoid "deserted places"—calling us not only to stay away from sin, but to stay away from what leads us to sin. The readings are 1 Maccabees 3, Sirach 7-9, and Proverbs 22:5-8.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Tricia Hersey, founder of The Nap Ministry, who critiques the “grind culture” engendered by capitalism and reminds us of our divine right to rest in body and mind.

Our bodies and Spirits do not belong to capitalism, no matter how it is theorized and presented. Our divinity secures this, and it is our right to claim this boldly. I’m not grinding ever. I trust the Creator and my Ancestors to always make space for my gifts and talents without needing to work myself into exhaustion…. [1]  

Rest is as natural as breathing and waking up. Rest is part of our nature. Resting is about getting people back to their truest selves. To what they were before capitalism robbed you of your ability to just be. Rest is anything that slows you down enough to allow your body and mind to connect in the deepest way. We must be focused on knowing that our bodies and our worth are not connected to how many things we can check off a list. You can begin to create a “Not-To-Do-List” as you gain the energy to maintain healthy boundaries. Our opportunity to rest and reimagine rest is endless. There is always time to rest when we reimagine. [2] (Rohr, n.d.)

We seek the Spirit to inspire our action to transform the Good News we hear into love, compassion and care for people and the environment.

References

Joel, CHAPTER 4. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved October 11, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/joel/4?12 

Luke, CHAPTER 11. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved October 11, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/11?27 

Meditation on Luke 11:27-28. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved October 11, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/10/11/1405165/ 

Minnich, M. (2025, October 11). Daily Reflection October 11, 2025 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved October 11, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-october-11-2025 

Psalms, PSALM 97. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved October 11, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/97?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved October 11, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/from-accumulation-to-abundance-weekly-summary/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Hear the Word of God and Keep It. Daily Scripture Net. Retrieved October 11, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/