July 22

There are two parts of the Gospel today that really spoke to my heart: “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while” and “When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.” Although these lines don’t follow one after another, they can easily be read together.

Basically, in order for us to teach others and evangelize according to His call, we have to make sure our own spiritual cup is full. Meaning, we cannot help anyone if we haven’t first taken care of ourselves.

How do we do this? Practically speaking, we actually rest, just like Jesus tells His disciples to. We make sure every bit of our health is taken care of- we eat healthy, we sleep, we exercise, we pray. Now, for us to be able to really evangelize and lead others to God, we have to know and love Him ourselves first! And part of resting is resting “in Him”. We must retreat each day, even if for a short period of time, to allow Him to fill our hearts and souls. We must study His life, we must communicate with Him, we must invite Him on this journey. Finally, ask Him who He is calling you to encounter and walk with. Each soul requires a unique form of loving. But if you listen, He will tell you exactly what He wants you to do at just the right moment.

Then, and only then, can we truly help those who are lost, with Him as our shepherd.

Amen!