By Rev. Monsignor Rob Kinnally
Everyone Is Looking for You!
In speaking with a great number of our teens recently, I was reminded how busy they are every day doing the things that they do: school, sports, theater, music, and –hopefully- enjoying friendships! We are all busy, and even Jesus was busy. There is a wonderful story in the Gospel (Mark 1:37) about a busy Jesus being sought by “everyone:”
Rising very early before dawn, [Jesus] left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed. Simon and those who were with him pursued him and on finding him said, “Everyone is looking for you.”
In all of the Gospels, it seems like Jesus can’t get any “down time.” Every time He is at a wedding or at the home of his friends, he winds up working. At the wedding at Cana, his celebration is interrupted so he can perform his first public miracle – turning water into choice wine. His sleep while on a boat ride with some of the disciples is cut short to calm the sea and allay the fears of his fretting friends. At the home of Martha and Mary the dinner and chatting are delayed so He can teach a lesson about choosing “the better part” (i.e., being attentive to Jesus and not being “anxious about many things”). Poor Jesus – He just doesn’t get a break. Or does He?
How many times have we heard someone say, “Glad you’re back – so and so was looking for you.” Many of you have heard the familiar, “Mom/Dad/Honey/Dear/ can you come here?!!” proclaimed the second you step away for “just a moment.”
Jesus knows that He is no good to anyone who is looking for him unless he has his time away – in prayer. Those who seek Him need healing, freedom from burdens, good counsel, and His uncompromised presence. In order to be truly present and effective, He needs prayer to refresh and restore the energy it takes to be “all things to all.” (cf. a few of St. Paul’s letters). Away from the crowd and completely caught up in his God-the-Father-time, Jesus gets what He needs to return from the desert or come down from the mountain truly ready to minister to those who are waiting.
It must have been tough to be Jesus when he came down from the mountain to face thousands who looked up at him with eyes and hearts pleading to hear good news, to receive the gift of healing, to make sense of this life that is at times so complicated, and to be assured that Heaven is a real place and we can catch a glimpse of it in the here-and-now! Tall order for Jesus, and tall order for us when the ones we love ask much of us as we navigate a complex world, manage relationships, and seek meaning.
So how did Jesus do it? He trusted in God to give him what he needed to be fully present to those who long for love and meaning. How can do it? By first asking, “What keeps me busy and does any of it compromise my availability to the ones I love?” Then we walk with God through the busy times and ask God to give us what we need to get done what God wants us to do, and then take care of everything else.
I’m writing this column at the end of my day off. I wound up working for most of it and I’m rushing a bit to meet my deadline; but thankfully I took some time to pray and “chill” before I set about writing. I am trying to be better about taking my days off and dedicating larger blocks of time to prayer. It makes a difference in the way I minister. All of us need that time away in prayer and in God’s loving presence. These Lenten days provide an ascetic context that remind me that down-time is as close as the nearest “desert” and easier than we think: it can be a brisk or leisurely walk, a blanket on the beach on a winter afternoon, a comfortable chair by the fireplace, a pew or chair before in church, or a few deep breaths with our eyes closed at our desk.
If Jesus thinks it’s important to step away and pray before He takes care of everyone else, then we should think it’s important before we try to do anything for those who need us. I like what St. Ignatius has to say about all of this: “Work as if everything depends on you. Pray as if everything depends on God.”
Being busy is a fact of life, but life is too precious to spend just being busy. We need to do the work of depending more on God and finding in God the peaceful moments of rest and reflection that bring us to an understanding of who we are – with God.
Monsignor Rob Kinnally is the pastor of Saint Aloysius Roman Catholic Parish in New Canaan and the Vicar General of the Diocese of Bridgeport.
