TO PRAY IS TO REST

In the Gospel, Jesus teaches us about the importance of rest, of taking a break from a long and tedious work. Such is a very human gesture coming from Jesus, the God made man. However, by virtue of being God, Jesus reveals the divine dimension of rest, that is rest as a prayer, more so prayer as a rest.

For us working all day long, having something to be busy at, surely there is a moment of the day we thought of resting, of letting our tire bodies to lay on our beds and take a one good nap. Why not? Taking a rest for a while is good, as long as it is not to the detriment of the task entrusted to us.

Rest allows us to pose for a while, to catch our breath we lost in the rat race, to see the output of our work so far. Rest gives our efforts time to grow, to develop, to ferment. Rest permits the dust and dirt to settle down, allowing us to see the picture clearly. Rest gives us the chance to assess how far we have gone in our journey, how much we have progress. Rest enables us to direct or re-direct the route of journey, or simply continue to whatever we have started.

How should we rest? How should we recharge from a taxing labor here on earth?

Jesus teaches us to pray us we rest, to pray to the Father as we move away from our busy, messy desk, to talk to the Father how much we have progress I our work, all the more, how much we have failed Him. Jesus shows to us that as we take a rest, moving away from the crowd of our worlds, there exist a space for us in the Father’s heart. We can rest on his bosom, on His lap, in His presence. We can bring everything to Him; our achievement and failures, our good deeds and sins. And be assured He will heal whatever is wounded. He will strengthen whatever is weak. He will recover whatever is lost along our journey.

Jesus tells us that to rest is not merely to eat and sleep, to comfort our aching bodies, to rest from our stressful work, from our apostolate. We are more than our body. We have souls. Thus, Jesus tells us that to rest is to seek comfort from the Father for our souls that have grown weary due to sins. Such rest we can rightly call prayer. Yes, we can spend our rest by praying. By saying short prayers we can comfort ourselves in a very tense situation. When pride looms around say ‘Lord, humble me.’ When we realize we sin say ‘Lord, have mercy on me.’ When we are tempted to commit sin, say, ‘Lord, be with me.’

To rest our bodies from our hectic day-to-day schedule is good. It can energize us and direct our work to their completion. To rest our souls, for a while, from our earthly journey is necessary. To rest our souls in the presence of the Father, just like Jesus did when He prayed, is the best way to rest. Rest now!