Homily — 16^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

Fr. Timothy W. Castor

"Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest awhile." Older translations of the Scriptures, such as the King James and the Douay-Rheims, rendered this verse, "Come apart into a desert place and rest a little." A professor of mine in college, training young people for ministry, used to say, "if you don’t come apart and rest, you will come apart." Jesus himself made this recommendation to his own disciples, and on the basis of this verse, the Catholic Church has legislated that, each year, her priests are to make a spiritual retreat. Moreover, Canon Law stipulates that every priest entrusted with pastoral duties, may take four weeks of vacation every year.

Perhaps I’m feeling a bit guilty, having just returned from a couple weeks of retreat and vacation myself. But I don’t think anyone will deny how important it is for those who care for the souls of others to take time out in order to care for their own souls. And this recommendation doesn’t apply just to priests. Every member of the Christian faithful—whether lay, ordained, or consecrated in religious life—is involved to some degree in the work of the apostolate. Each one of us, by virtue of our Baptism, have a share in the royal priesthood of Jesus Christ. We are intercessors. Through the example of our lives and the words that we speak, we bring Christ to the world and we bring the world to Christ. All of us are involved in ministry; and so all of us should take time out of our busy schedules for personal spiritual renewal. This is accomplished first and foremost through daily prayer—a few quiet moments set aside each day to place ourselves in the presence of God and to separate ourselves from the concerns of daily life. This is absolutely essential for our spiritual growth and our effectiveness in witnessing Christ to others. Spiritual reading is an excellent form of prayer for those who are literate (which, of course, includes most of the inhabitants of the United States). The Bible should be our primary source in this regard, and a good way to read the Bible is to follow the daily Mass lectionary, which is available on-line and through various publications. Of course, if you can actually go to daily Mass, this is also highly recommended. And, I’ll simply mention in passing the many other forms of prayer available, from the Liturgy of the Hours to the Rosary of our Lady. Our Catholic tradition provides a rich banquet of spirituality—something suited to every taste and every need.

But what about this idea of a spiritual retreat? Is this also available to the laity? I strongly believe that it is, and that the world would be a much happier place if more Christians availed themselves of the opportunity to come away and rest. You don’t have to take a week at a time—for many, this really would be impossible. But I think that nearly everyone, if they put their mind to it, could set aside a 24-hour period once or twice a year for the purpose of a spiritual retreat. It might take some finagling—a few favors from friends to watch the kids or to take care of the animals—but, with the exception of nursing mothers, it can be done.

So how do you do it? First of all, don’t try this at home! There will be too many distractions. Instead, choose a destination away from your daily routine—a monastery such as St. Martin’s is a good choice, or even a private cabin in the Hills. But try to choose a location where Mass will be available. Leave home in the evening, begin your retreat with the Rosary or night prayers, and then get a good night’s sleep. In fact, sleep in the following morning, but not too late. Get enough sleep so that you are refreshed and well rested. Make sure you have some good spiritual reading with you, including the Bible, and use that throughout the day. But don’t make it simply a day of study—that would be dull and spiritually unhelpful. Begin the day with Mass, if possible, and then have a good breakfast. On the other hand, if you find that fasting is helpful to your prayer, then by all means do that. Don’t try to make a schedule for the day, but let the day divide itself naturally, through the promptings of the Holy Spirit, into periods of reading, periods of meditation and reflection, periods of formal prayer with the Rosary or a prayer book, and periods of rest. Don’t forget also to take time for physical recreation during the day—a walk, for example, or even a bike ride. For the entire 24 hours, the following things are absolutely banned: radio, TV, newspaper, magazines, novels, and other secular reading. During a longer retreat, you might be able to fit some of these things in. But with only one day, it’s essential that you keep your heart and mind focused on God and the things of God. Otherwise, it will just be a day off, and not a retreat. In the evening, end the day with a prayer of thanksgiving, and return home refreshed and renewed.

It might sound like a lot to fit into one day. But, as the day unfolds, you’ll find that there’s plenty of time to do all these things. You see, for most modern Americans, our attention span is just too short to concentrate on one thing for any length of time. So, you do each of these things in short bursts of activity, and a lot can be accomplished. I urge each of you to give this a try sometime this year. Perhaps you are planning of vacation (or even on vacation right now). Set aside a day of your vacation schedule for just this purpose, or take a personal day off from work for a retreat. I promise you, if you utilize the time wisely, you’ll be glad you did.

Pastors of souls need time off occasionally in order to perform their ministry well. All of us, in order to live the life God calls us to, need to make a Sabbath rest from time to time in order to refresh our souls and to renew our spirits. This should not be just a luxury for the few, but a regular facet of every Christian’s life. May the Lord guide your discernment as you seek that rest in order to serve him more faithfully.

© 2003, The Rev. Timothy W. Castor