Doers of the Word
Walls, Music & Rest.
David wrote over half of the 150 psalms (with music!). Psalm 23 in today’s reading is among the most popular. Although David possessed courage enough to take on the likes of Goliath, a nine-foot-tall Philistine, he did not fit the “macho” mold. In fact, David first gained King Saul’s notice for his musical, not military skills. He was brought to the army camp because his harpy playing soothed the nerves of the troubled king. Soothing music at OLM liturgical celebrations?
St. Paul talks about tearing down barriers (walls!) between Jews & Gentiles (Jews and Palestinians). Jews kept themselves separate from Gentiles by many cultural and religious barriers. The most vivid symbol of separation was a wall in the temple. Non-Jews could never enter the temple courts beyond that wall, and a further wall separated Jewish men from Jewish women. Paul describes in our first reading how Christ destroyed the “wall of hostility”. Are there walls we should be tearing down?
“Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest,” Jesus said in the gospel. A deserted place is not where food is normally found nor rest easy to come by. Might not a deserted place become a symbol for learning how to be fed by God? Eucharist! Sunday rest is a time to learn how to be free of the idolatry of work. As one spiritual writer says, “The Sabbath (Sunday) is there to stop you from being absorbed in the success story, to prevent you being enslaved to productivity and profit.”
Therefore, a deserted place, or Sunday Rest, is any time we turn to people, any time we take to get to know ourselves, God, or family, and our neighbors. The Gospel reminds us that it’s time not just to vacation, but to embrace the Eucharistic Sunday Rest and be fed. As Richard Rohr says, “Jesus did not say, “think about this,” or “fight about this,” or “stare at this.” He said, “Eat this.” “Do this.”