Jesus said to the apostles, "Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while."
So they went off by boat to a deserted place. People saw them leaving and the crowds heard about it. From all around the region they hurried to the place where Jesus and the disciples were going, and they arrived there ahead of them.
When Jesus stepped out of the boat and saw the large crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd.Mark 6: 31-34
Many of us at some point in our lives are touched by the Lord's Spirit and called to set out on a journey of faith. Why we are called and others appear not to be is something we cannot explain. It is not something we do on our own. The Spirit fills us with a desire for God. We set out in search of him. We long to make our way to him, to see his face, and to be embraced by his love. God becomes the center of our life.
But as we journey along the road of faith, we begin to experience a tension in our life. For our journey passes through an unredeemed world. Before the Lord called us we were part of it. And though we may long to leave this world and be at home with the Lord, we know that love of God and love of neighbor are inseparable. The same love that draws us to God also binds us to the world.
As we grow in faith we learn that God's love is for everyone. We see that God calls us to be bearers of his love in the world. The love he gives us is not a treasure to be guarded but a gift to be shared. We come to understand that we cannot be with God unless we bring all our brothers and sisters with us on the journey. God wants no one left behind. This is the hardship of love.
When our heart is moved with pity for the sin and sorrow of the world, we begin to understand love. We understand that it is not yet time to be at rest in the Lord. Peace will come later. For now we have work to do. We must find a way to bring the Lord's Spirit to everyone, to lead the way on the hopeful journey of faith. Love makes no distinction between good and bad, friend and enemy, seeker and scoffer. We must take everyone with us on the journey to God.
Lord God, we long to see your face. Grant us faith to keep us on the way of holiness, hope to urge us on in times of weakness and discouragement, and love to turn our hearts to those who do not know of you, that together we may journey to the peace of the kingdom of heaven.