Two-Minute Homily by Fr Tom Elich for the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 2024.
“Our prayer time is not an escape from our mission to love and care for others. Rather, our quiet time gives us the focus and the energy to do our ministry well.”
- Two-Minute Homily Transcript
Two-Minute Homily Transcript
Author: Archdiocese of Brisbane
Time out. A chance to breathe. Recharging our batteries. This is really important for our health and well-being, physical, mental, spiritual. Regular prayer gives us this opportunity to be still. We can break out of endless activity and online connectivity and get ourselves together again. This is one of the contributions that Sunday Mass makes to our lives. It is an hour in the week to stop and ask ourselves in God’s presence what’s been happening to us, where we are now, and what challenges are in store for us in the coming week.In today’s gospel, we see Jesus taking his disciples to do just this. They had been sent out on mission and they come back elated. And now, Jesus says, it is time to be still. And so, they set out for a lonely place. Now, there is a caution in all this. We can become so focussed on our own time and our own well-being, that it becomes rather selfish. We can ignore others and their needs, even those we love.
In the gospel, Jesus sets the example. When he and his disciples arrive at the so-called ‘lonely place’, a large crowd is waiting for them. And Jesus’ heart goes out to them. They were like sheep without a shepherd, says the gospel. And so, he puts his time of solitude on hold, and first spends time with them, teaching them and answering their questions.
This shows us that our quiet time, our prayer time, is not a withdrawal into comfortable isolation, and not an escape from our mission to love and care for others. Rather, our quiet time gives us the focus and the energy to do our ministry well. Every blessing for the coming days!