Strengthened by Ministry!

Saturday, February 8, 2025

Heb 13:15-17, 20-21; Mk 6:30-34

Today’s Gospel highlights the relationship and balance between missionary work and rest. 

Having listened to the missionary experience of his disciples, Jesus feels that they need rest. What we must note here is that it is Jesus who proposes that his disciples get some rest, without them asking for it. 

Maybe Jesus felt that he needed to listen to his disciples’ achievements in the mission field. Or Jesus wanted to rest a while too. 

Though we have no way of knowing Jesus’ intention behind his proposal, we find him being very clear about the missional priorities that he postpones the intended rest upon finding the needy longing for his love and attention. 

Here, Jesus does not minimize the need for rest. Nor does he want us to get exhausted in the mission. Instead, Jesus wants us to discover the fine balance between work and rest. This is why Jesus himself proposes that his disciples spend some time away from people. 

Scholars believe that the opposite of ‘burnout syndrome’ is ‘boreout syndrome.’ While excessive stress and overwork characterize the former, extreme boredom and lack of challenge at work describe the latter. 

This is where Jesus wants us to take the middle path. He wants us to master the art of strengthening ourselves through ministry. Like Jesus, some find the missionary field far more enriching than the place of lonely rest. For Jesus, missionaries of mercy find more comfort among God’s people than in finding delight in some self-imposed isolation.

Further, Jesus demonstrates that when we act from sympathy and compassion, the mission becomes a labor of love. 

We learn from Jesus that giving love can only be enriching and never be exhausting.

Let us pray that our desire to balance between ministry and rest may be done from love and compassion.

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar