“Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.”

The words above, spoken by Jesus to the apostles, can be perceived as encouragement to take a vacation and to pause from your everyday work for a while. Although everyone needs rest, this would not be enough for our Lord. He invites us to an exceptional sort of rest. For people who understand spiritual life, going “into the wilderness,” means true regeneration of strength in God. It is a unique invitation to a personal, deep meeting with the only Giver of life. It is a unique time of rest in union with His Sacred Heart, for His Heart is the source of life, holiness, all consolation, peace and reconciliation. It is like the entrance to the heart’s inner room and unblocking the stream of living water. It is the discovery that only the Spirit of Christ is the source of love, joy and peace.

However, there are people who have never discovered this. They need help.  Jesus came to invite them to his kingdom. Saint Paul writes about this division: of those who are waiting to hear, and those who have already heard the Good News. He says that Christ, through the sacrifice of his blood, made both parts of humanity one. “He came and preached peace to those who were far off and peace to those who were near, for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.”

Paraphrasing St. Augustine, we can infer that we will not find rest and peace apart from God, for: “man’s heart is restless until it rests in God.”

Roman Harmata PA