Homily for the 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

We are currently in the midst of vacation season. We all need a break from our daily routines. Typically, we go on vacation with someone or visit someone when we go away. Most of us prefer to be with others while away from home.

In the Gospel, Jesus leads His disciples to rest and quiet. They had been busy and were eager to share their experiences with Him. This was a time of reflection in Jesus' company when they would do nothing except be present to each other and the Lord. This narrative highlights the importance of rest and reflection in our faith journey.

In our faith lives, we all need such desert moments when we try to be present to the Lord and each other. Our church here is open every weekday until about 3:00 pm and until the end of the last Masses on the weekend. We have the Rosary after Daily Mass. We have Daily Mass at 8:00 am... what an excellent way to start the day! Throughout each day, many, many people stop at our grotto to offer a prayer to our Blessed Mother. And we have so much more. Our church is that sort of desert space in the middle of our community. It is a place to which people can come away and rest for a while, in the words of the Gospel. It is also a place where we can commune with the Lord, feeling spiritually connected and rejuvenated.

During moments of silence, we can share with the Lord what has been happening in our lives. In the Gospel, the disciples shared with Jesus all they had been doing and teaching. We can use this time to do the same. Some people find this moment of silence by going for a walk. As we walk, we can become more aware of the Lord's presence and also of the people in our lives, even if we are walking alone. However we choose to do it, as believers and followers of the Lord, we all need to take some time alone to rest and allow the Lord to commune with us more deeply.

If the first part of today's Gospel emphasizes the importance of taking time away from our everyday concerns to be present with the Lord, the second part emphasizes another value. The solitude of the place where Jesus and his disciples landed soon turned into a bustling scene even before they arrived. Instead of stepping into a quiet and peaceful atmosphere, Jesus and His disciples were surrounded by human need and urgency.

Jesus responded to the interruption by being completely present. He did not try to avoid the crowd or send them away; He fully engaged with them. In the words of the Gospel, "His heart was moved with pity for them."

Like Jesus and His disciples, we all experience unexpected interruptions in our plans. Sometimes, we anticipate one thing, but the opposite occurs. These interruptions are a normal part of life. As one writer noted, God can often be found amid these interruptions.

Part of our calling as followers of the Lord is to be present for others, even when they show up unexpectedly and disrupt our carefully laid plans. It's easy to get agitated and annoyed when things don't go as we had envisioned, and we may start seeing people as annoyances rather than being present for them with the same compassion that Jesus showed. Jesus often spent time alone in prayer, and it was in those moments of connection with God that He could be present for others, no matter who they were or how they approached Him. Similarly, taking time to be with the Lord enables us to be fully present for those who come into our lives. Our reflective moments and times of solitude help us become more contemplative and attentive in our interactions with others.