It has been said that marriages are not ruined by a blow out, but by a slow leak. The same is true for every Christian trying to live a life in accordance with the dictates of the Gospel in today’s world. You have to be aware of the slow leak which can drain you dry if you’re not careful.

It’s easy to get tired, or even worse, to get burned out like Moses who was told by Jethro: “You will surely wear out.” (Exodus 18). Although we might say like St. Paul: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13), we need to pull back from time to time, and allow ourselves time to rest and be renewed as Jesus asks us to do in today’s scripture: “Come away,” He says,”and rest awhile.”

You need to listen to the wisdom of Jesus who asks you not to overdo it. It is like the coach of a football team who needs to call time-out when things get out of hand in order to re-group and get a better understanding of the game.

The scriptures are replete with the accounts of spiritual men and women who, for a while at least, lost their way and their freshness. For example, Samson trusted too much in himself and he fell. King Saul waffled on obedience and gave into self-interest. Solomon got soft and was carried away by the Queen of Sheba who led him astray. David lusted after another man’s wife, and paid the price for his sin. St. Peter let his guard down and denied Christ three times. St.Thomas lost the faith for a time, but later regained it. They all, for a while, became weary of doing good. They became stale like old bread that has lost its taste. Everybody needs to take time off to be rejuvenated, to be renewed in mind and body, to meet new people, to relax and to meditate apart from the cares and anxieties of life. After his baptism in the Jordan, before His public ministry, the Lord spent time in solitude communing with the Father. He took time off from the demands of ministry.

In imitation of Jesus, we need to spend some time in solitude to grow spiritually.

There are different ways of doing this. You can set aside a particular time and day of the week for solitary meditation with the Lord. It is also important to choose the right place and surroundings where you can avoid distractions. It could be as simple as your room where you can “pray to the Lord in secret” as Jesus says or it could be the back garden of your house. This solitary time is called prayer, and it means conversing, privately, with the Lord. You don’t need to worry about what to talk about or what to do. The Lord already provides you with what to do and ponder in the Scriptures. Prayer is meditation on the Scriptures. It is to the soul what blood is to the body. All our prayers need to be scripture-based for scripture is the word of the Lord. If you come under the influence of the Word, your thoughts, words, and deeds will be transformed. As a person thinks, so does he act.

There are many helpful tools to enable you to pray the scriptures. I wrote the first of a trilogy of books to help my readers pray the scriptures. The subject of the first book is the gift of Faith and consists of meditations on the words of Jesus about faith for every week of the year. Each meditation is followed by practical reflections for the benefit of the reader and concludes with an appropriate prayer. I am engaged in writing the other two books on Hope and Love, and they will be published soon. I have chosen the topics of Faith, Hope, and Love for the Lord embodies all three. They are also the sum of our spiritual lives. Faith is the root, Hope is the shoot, and Love is the fruit. These three theological virtues (or gifts ) are not abstract but are practical ways of applying the teachings of Jesus to our lives. Jesus, for example, is the Truth for He reveals the mysteries of Faith to us. He is the life for He gives us Hope to be more than we are. And He is the Way for He is Love incarnate.

There are other tools or aids to meditating on the scriptures that are beneficial to anyone wishing to spend quality time with the Lord. Choose what is suitable and beneficial for you.

You can also put aside time each day to meditate on the Lord’s word. This may be difficult for many due to hectic schedules, but if you can manage to do this, so much the better. I’ve found it a beneficial practice to devote about an hour each morning, after breakfast, for meditation on the scriptures.

Meditation on the Lord’s Holy Word is a marvelous practice. The Lord understands what we are up against in a world that is constantly tripping us up with messages contrary to His Word. That is why He asks us to come away and rest awhile in an atmosphere where we can be renewed by His Good News.

—Fr. Hugh Duffy