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Alone with God
‘Come away all by yourself and rest a while’ is not just a pious gesture given only to a few chosen people, but a fundamental call to all of us to find some much needed silence, rest and solitude. One of the most obvious characteristics of our daily lives is that we are busy. Our lives are filled with things to do. There is a hounding sense that there are unfinished tasks, unfulfilled promises and there is always something else that we should have done, remembered, or said.
We live in a time where we have these high-tech instruments which get things done quicker and easier. Things are done faster and effortlessly compare to previous generations. Yet today, we don’t have enough time for God, the family and the Church as compared to before. We cannot deny the fact that life has acquired a speed that surpasses our capacity to catch up. Sometimes that means we are stretched to the limit, being over-extended, having to juggle too many things all at once, driving faster than we’d like, working to the point of exhaustion. Hence it is a timely and important invitation from Jesus to find that place of silence and rest for our souls.
Does Jesus want us to be busy always and live life with a sense of hurry? In our culture today, it’s an easy trap to be carried away by the business and demands of life and in fact find our value and identity in them. In my experience, I have learnt that when things get busy, an obvious thing we do is to sacrifice our quiet time with God. Our time with God in silence and solitude seems to be less productive and so we are tempted to do things actively and be more productive. If we try to live life this way without Sabbath time, we will most likely dry up spiritually, which can lead to a shallow life driven by anxiety and fear like a sheep without a shepherd.
Jesus reminds us through the parable of the vine and the branches that our fruitfulness depends on our union with Him and not on our hard work (Jn 15:1-8). We bear enduring fruits in our union with Him, who is the source of all lives. Throughout Jesus’ ministry of preaching, healing, and making disciples we see him withdraw from the crowds again and again – often getting up very early to do so, to be quiet and alone with the Father. Jesus taught his disciples to follow his prayer practice. “Because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’ (Mark 6:31-32).
Jesus invites us to find a clear balance between action and contemplation. We are called to enter that secret place for regenerating dialogue with oneself and with God. As we read in the responsorial psalm, he gives repose and revives our drooping spirit (Ps 23:2). In that quiet and prayerful atmosphere, we gather our bearings and get inspired again. When we immerse ourselves in the loving presence of God, we are reminded that we are loved by God, embraced by Him tremendously and that He is in control of everything. From this place of love and acceptance of the true shepherd we find our direction, pasture, revival and strength to shepherd those God brings into our lives.
What are some of the ways we can practice time alone with God? I would like to suggest few ways to incorporate this kind of silence into our time of prayer which might include going for a quiet, solitary walk, or spending quiet time in a favourite spot outdoors, or it might mean waking up a little earlier than others in our household and enjoying that quiet time with God with our coffee or tea.
