Often times, my blogs start with an idea and the moving of the Holy Spirit as I seek to share with my readers something that will be of help to them. How these blogs come about always varies and there seems to be no set template for their writing. So is the case with this blog.
Reflecting on the readings for the sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, that you will hear this coming weekend, drew me to reflect on the Gospel of Mark 6:30-34 where I read, “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” A deserted place caused me to stop and ponder for a time.
All three readings and the responsorial psalm speak of peace. This peace is found in the Shepherd of Jesus, as He gathers us in and invites us to a deserted place, a quiet place to rest with Him and thus, be renewed, healed, gain perspective, clarify focus, and to be fortified to go back into the business of life. These thoughts reminded me of a poem I wrote July 13, 2017 upon visiting the crumbled remains of a mansion built in the late 1800’s that I want to share with you.
A Deserted Place
I sit amidst a haunted shell, where life once dwelt now gone,
a life once lived now buried, scattered ruins on the ground.
A home where love and laughter lived within the stony walls,
now mason stones lie silent, bleached in sun’s aged thralls.
All quiet and hushed colors clothe this placid place,
while spiders crawl on webbing floors, and vultures soar above in space.
The calmness of the present now covers up the past,
the empty rooms mere guesses, where brambles live at last.
This meeting place that you have picked, I wait in silent awe,
an epitaph upon my soul your love has etched, still raw.
I sit in echoed stillness here, redemptive hours pass by,
my restless heart now given wings soars upward through the sky.
To gaze upon my waiting form, with life, with joy, with love,
a deserted place, a resting place, a meeting chosen from above.
Where is your deserted place? Fr. Jacques Philippe, in his book: Searching for and Maintaining Peace, says “The more our soul is peaceful and tranquil, the more God is reflected in it, the more His image expresses itself in us, the more His grace acts through us. On the other hand, if our soul is agitated and troubled, the grace of God is able to act only with much greater difficulty.” (pg. 5) He goes on to say that a soul that is not at peace cannot hear the Holy Spirit speak, and this, he says, is the tactic of the enemy who seeks to keep us distant and separated from God.
This weekend’s readings show us that we are a people (sheep) without a shepherd. As sheep, we are to know the Master’s voice, recognize it, and follow it. This is impossible without cultivating silence in a deserted place, where we can come away and sit with Jesus and rest for a while; to be at peace.
For Reflection:
Do I long for peace, a peace that only Christ can give? Where do I search for this peace? How does the poem help me and draw me in to find a deserted place to sit with Jesus? Where is your deserted place of rest?
Prayer:
Holy Spirit, stir into flame your great love for me and lead me to a deserted place to be alone with Jesus, my shepherd and my peace.
(blogged July 15, 2024)
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