Taking time out for compassion

‘… Come away to a deserted place’. (Mark 6:31)

Mark 6:30-34 (Year B: Trinity+7)

This passage comes at a busy and even traumatic time in the ministry of Jesus. Just before the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and after the execution of Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist, and following the missionary apprenticeship of the apostles (Mark 6:7-13) we read that Jesus proposes to his friends the following: ‘come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.’  There are strong indications, in this passage, of Jesus the loving shepherd sustaining and teaching his closest friends but also ever available to the wider community of people following or seeking his kingdom of love.

In some workplaces (a minority) every now and again the employees are brought away for ‘an away day’ or ‘retreat’ where gurus on management enunciates wisdom and where participants sometimes engage in ‘games’ to build teams.  In some school and other group settings a ‘retreat’ is a time when people are invited to take time out, listen, reflect and may be share something of their journey with others. Where such ‘retreats’ are mandatory they can constitute a personal trial and penance. Where they are voluntary and chosen they can provide an oasis of renewal, joy and healing. The choice is ours. Such ‘retreats’ may or may not be ‘religious’ (or even explicitly ‘spiritual’ for that matter). While a stag or a hen party is doubtfully a ‘retreat’ they could signal a time of bonding, friendship, celebration and in some sense a ‘renewal’ (the example will not be dwelt on further!).

Compassion and rest

Compassion incited Jesus to show practical concern for his friends by proposing a time of rest and withdrawal together as a group. Yet, the crowds demanded further healing and instruction and Jesus continued to show the same compassion by changing his plans and attending to the needs of a people who were ‘like sheep without a shepherd’ (verse 34). This change of plan tells us that (a) rest is essential and to be embraced as a sacred human obligation for ourselves and others, and (b) a ministry and service governed by compassion means that he timing and extent of such rest should be flexible. ‘Out of hours’ not available doesn’t work when someone is seriously sick, troubled or in danger.  When in doubt ‘err on the side of compassion’ as one writer put it.

And so it that time of year, again, when some lucky people in the Northern hemisphere of the globe can afford a break from the everyday routine and bind to ‘take some air’ and enjoy the fruits of the earth.  In our daily and pressurised lives we need to seek places and times of quiet where we can simply be.  Whether this be accompanied by walking, exercising, reading, listening, looking or simply enjoying the company of loved ones there must be time and space for rest.  After all, on the seventh day God rested from all his work (Genesis 2:2). The writers of Genesis wished to press home the good example the creator of the universe showed us his creatures! We owe our seven day week to these ancient scribes among others. And to press home the point further there is the biblical injunction of a seventh year of rest when the fields are not to be sown or vines pruned (Leviticus 25:4). All of this made good ecological sense and if those fortunate enough to afford ‘holidays in the sun’ (surely not in this part of Europe!) we might consider a walking or biking holiday in the misty, cool dew of some Irish mountain range.

And in Deuteronomy 15:1 we read about a remission of debt every seven years.

Rest is essential for service

The idea of rest is essential to human flourishing. Over time, ‘rest’ has become increasingly commodified, specialised and hived off from the rest of what we do.  Bearing in mind that we send up to one third of our lives in bed (so that someone at the age of 60 has spent a total of 20 years in bed so far which is not an insignificant life achievement) and that most of our waking time is spent ‘working’ or studying or caring or tending to the essentials of personal maintenance and sustenance a dedicated time of special ‘rest’ is not inappropriate. Strangely, the advent and growth of new technologies and conveniences, while they have reduced average paid working time over the last century, have not opened up huge horizons of ‘free time’ for dedicated rest and re-creation (the hyphen is not a typo!).

St Augustine of Hippo got it right when he said ‘God, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you.’ [Confessions, Book 1, chapter 1(2)]. We seek rest in the wrong places and in the wrong ways only to find our hearts still more restless. All ‘things’ can be arranged to serve good ends if we know how but when we make an end of these ‘things’ we end up in a loop of frustrating anxiety.

As it says in the concluding prayer for Wednesday night office:

……grant us the rest we need that we may be ever more willing to serve you….