Word to the Wise
Saturday, February 5, 2022 - Saturday in the 4th Week in Ordinary Time
[1 Kgs 3:4-13 and Mark 6:30-34]The Apostles gathered together with Jesus and reported all they had done and taught. He said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." People were coming and going in great numbers, and they had no opportunity even to eat. So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place. People saw them leaving and many came to know about it. They hastened there on foot from all the towns and arrived at the place before them. [Mark]
FEBRUARY 5 ST, AGATHA, virgin and martyr
It would seem that ministry-fatigue and "burnout" are not new things at all! We are told that Jesus would often get away from the crowds to "recharge" and pray, and in today's gospel scripture he insists that the apostles do the same, although it would appear they had a hard time doing so. One may imagine the boat setting out in view of the land and the crowds scuttling around the shore to get to the destination before the boat does! The more modern minister carries the crowd with him or her in the form of a cell phone!
In my ministry as an itinerant preacher (part time 1992-2009, full time 2009-2019, and now part time again since 2019), one of my more rewarding events has been retreats for priests and deacons/spouses. These events are required by canon law and diocesan rules and the preacher must accept that a certain amount of "coming and going" can take place! (A bishop once said to me, "You must be doing something right. Many of these guys discover they have a funeral by now!") But the "wear and tear" of ministry is on full display in the one-on-one encounters I have with the retreatants as well as in the "Question and Answer" sessions. In the case of deacons/spouses, the impact on the marriage and family can be a challenge.
Outside the formal ministerial context, it can be a great gift from one spouse to another to let the other go to a retreat, or even do so as a couple! [Blessed are the grandparents!] In the campus ministry context, retreats can have dramatic impacts! Jesus' admonition to the Apostles remains good advice to all who are engaged in caring for others, whether in church ministry or any of the helping professions. AMEN