Tissot, Jesus Commanding His Disciples to Rest
After the apostles return from their work of preaching and healing, Jesus commands them to rest: “You must come away to some lonely place all by yourselves and rest for a while.” Saint Mark tells us the apostles had been so busy, they “had no time even to eat.”
Philosopher Peter Kreeft recognises in this scene a powerful insight for our own lives. Dr Kreeft observes: “Jesus saw that both he and his disciples needed rest. But rest is a means to the end of meaningful work, not vice versa. We often think that the purpose of work is to make money so we can enjoy our rest. That’s backward. Rest is needed for the sake of better work, better action, whether that action is paid or unpaid (the most important action in life is unpaid, like parenting). The basic meaning of our life is an activity, whether we get paid for it in money or not and whether that activity is physical or mental. God’s call to our Adam was a job: to care for the garden. He established one day for sabbath rest, but he established six days for work. So our vacations are for better work, not our work for better vacations.”
This is a remarkable insight. Rest is good and necessary precisely so that we can live, act, love, parent, and work better. Today, our culture disrupts the balance between work and rest. On the one hand, it encourages us to work excessively. On the other hand, it encourages us to rest excessively. This lack of balance between work and rest diminishes human life and undermines the cohesiveness of families.
The rest we need is not just bodily rest. True rest has a spiritual quality. Indeed, true rest comes from contact with God through worship and prayer. The apostles rested in and with Christ, not just by sitting on the couch. To rest in Christ, they had to go away to a quiet and lonely place. Solitude and silence help us rest and pray.
God and the Church oblige us to abstain from unnecessary work and devote ourselves to rest and worship one day a week: Sunday. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (nn. 2180-2188) explains: “On Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass… Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin… On Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful are to refrain from engaging in work or activities that hinder the worship owed to God… and the appropriate relaxation of mind and body.”
The Catechism acknowledges that “family needs or important social service can legitimately excuse from the obligation of Sunday rest,” however, it warns that “the faithful should see to it that legitimate excuses do not lead to habits prejudicial to religion, family life, and health.”
The Catechism concludes: “Sanctifying Sundays and holy days requires a common effort. Every Christian should avoid making unnecessary demands on others that would hinder them from observing the Lord’s Day… Christians have to give everyone a public example of prayer, respect, and joy and defend their traditions as a precious contribution to the spiritual life of society.”
The Lord knows what is good for us. Let us take His teaching to heart and consider whether we can do more to make Sunday a day of rest.