圣诞节前第九主日

到旷野去歇一歇

——马可福音六章卅一节

三载匆匆，主为人仆。主尝废寝，枕首无处；主尝无食，甘受饥渴。主需小憩，隐于旷野。非为遁世，非为索居；静谧之中，与父相契。

我当效主，忘我事人，甘负重轭，不辞劳辛。亦当效主，常憩父怀——安息之所，得力之源。动若狂澜，静若止水；行如疾风，止如磐石。

父乃爱源，其深似海；常住爱中，爱人之心难竭。父乃爱源，其炽如火；常住爱中，爱人之心难冷。我爱有限，父爱无极；常住永爱之中，我爱必将常存。

9th before Christmas

Mark 6:31

Come away to a lonely place and rest awhile

Our Lord was so busy serving others for three years. He often went without sleep, without even a place to lay his head. He often went without food, enduring hunger and thirst without complaint. So it is not surprising that he needed a brief rest and went away to a lonely place. He did not do this in order to escape reality, nor to get away from the people and lead a solitary life. He did it in order to speak quietly with his God.

We should learn from Jesus to selflessly serve others, to willingly bear heavy burdens, and not to avoid hard work. We should also learn from Jesus to frequently rest in the embrace of our God – to seek a place for quiet rest, in order to replenish our strength from its source. Action is like the pounding of great waves; rest is like the calm of a still pool. Action is like the rushing wind; rest is like the natural immobility of rock.

Our heavenly father, source of love, is deep as the oceans. If I live in the sea of love , my love for others will not wither. God is love’s source, hot as fire. If I live within the fire of love, my love for others will not grow cold. My love is so limited, while God’s love is infinite. Only if I dwell in the eternal love of God will my own love endure.