Today’s gospel continues the story we started last week. Last Sunday, the apostles were commissioned and sent to preach the Good News to the surrounding towns and villages. Today we hear about their return as they complete their first missionary endeavor. How long they were gone, we are not sure, but we get to listen as they report their progress. We know from the other evangelists that this moment of reunion was full of rejoicing and energy - they had experienced the power of God working through them, moving people's hearts through their words and deeds. And how does Christ respond when his missionaries return from their exciting and busy adventure? He takes them aside to rest, to be with him again in the quiet intimacy of their small community.
The lesson is clear, but so hard to put into practice: active apostles, Christians who are engaged in evangelizing the world around them, need to balance their activity with contemplation, with time spent in personal conversation with the Lord. Sometimes we can wonder why we get so emotionally and spiritually exhausted by the busy-ness of our lives. It's because we aren't recharging our spiritual batteries. Stress, discouragement, and other strong emotions can wear us out if we aren't constantly reinforcing our faith in Jesus Christ. Only our friendship with the Lord can supply us with the strength and wisdom we need to be truly successful not only in our daily lives but more importantly, in our relationship with Christ.
Without prayer, study, and time alone with God, our well will soon run dry - we will have nothing to offer others. But without action, without giving freely to others what we have freely received from God, our spiritual waters will become stagnant and lifeless. Contemplation and action, prayer and work - this was how Christ lived his life and this is also how he wants us to live.
Our society tends to stress the importance of action more than prayer, but the two really are meant to go together. Jesus taught this not only in the way he treated his closest followers but also by the example of his own life. Towards the beginning of his public ministry, he and his apostles visited Simon Peter's house, where he cured Peter's mother-in-law and then spent the evening curing the sick and casting out demons. The next morning, the apostles got up early to start what they knew would be a very busy day. But when they looked around for Jesus, they couldn't find him. They searched all around and finally located him in the hills outside of town, praying. And when they told him that people were already lining up outside the house to see him, he said to them that it was time to move on to other towns. Jesus knew that he had a busy day before him, but he also knew that in order to get through it properly, he had to start off with prayer. Jesus led a full and active life, but that activity was fueled and inspired by his prayer - and if that's the case for him, the Son of God, how much more should it be the case for us, who seek to follow his example!
This is true for the spiritual life, but it's also a principle of human nature in general. As human beings we are body and mind, flesh and spirit. And so, everything we do has a material aspect - work, effort, action - and also a spiritual aspect - planning, vision, long-term goals.
Think of a football team.Football players are experts in action - fast action, hard-hits, speed, power and dexterity. But when a football team goes onto the field, how does it organize and direct all that physical potential? By following a game plan, a strategy. For every one minute on the field during a game, the team invests hours and hours of practice, film analysis, discussion, and strategic thinking. That's what keeps the players united, focused, and motivated during the heat of competition: they know what they are there for, what challenges they will be facing, what path to take. Sometimes it even happens that the bigger, faster, stronger team loses, because the other team had a better game plan, a better vision, and executed it well.
A similar pattern occurs in our spiritual life. Every day we are out there battling against temptations, difficulties, and obstacles to fulfilling our vocation in Christ. And it is easy for us to get worn down by the struggle. But if we spend time with the Lord in prayer, if we meet often with the Holy Spirit we will be able to win those battles. In prayer, our faith is renewed, our injuries healed, our weaknesses strengthened, and our victory assured.
St Benedict used a motto that sums up perfectly this Lesson. His motto was Ora et labora, which is Latin for pray and work. Prayer and work are like the two sides of a coin for us Christians. We are called to become close friends of Jesus Christ and we can only do that if we develop our prayer life. But we are also called to be his fellow soldiers, ambassadors of his everlasting Kingdom, and that means we should be putting our talents, time, and energy, into doing things that will make this world a better place, a place worthy of our King.
As we contemplate today’s readings then, we should ask ourselves an important question. Have I found the right balance between "ora" and "labora" in my life? Do I only pray when I come to Mass on Sunday? Do I think of God or speak to him at all during the rest of the week?On the other hand, do I flee to prayer to the point that I neglect my other responsibilities. Do I make excuses as to why it is good enough for me to pray but not to act upon my faith in working for the kingdom?
Some Catholics try to leave all the Kingdom-building activity to the priests, religious, and missionaries. They don't stay on the lookout for opportunities to help others discover the one thing worth finding in this life: friendship and companionship with Jesus Christ. Other Catholics are constantly trying to force-feed everyone they meet with the Gospel, violating common sense and common courtesy. Each one of us needs to find the balance that goes with our personality, our gifts, and state in life. May we be open to God’s grace as he sends us out to his people. May we find that balance between work and prayer, so that we may return with great joy to him each day, telling him of many wonders that he works in our lives.
