Mark 6:46: After saying farewell to them, he went up on the
mountain to pray.
I’m an introvert. This doesn’t mean that I don’t like people
or enjoy being around them. I do. It does mean that
interacting with people, especially a lot of people, drains my
energy and that I need some time alone to recharge.
Today’s Gospel tells the story of the loaves and fishes. The
miracle is bracketed by Jesus’ efforts to escape the crowds
that followed him. Jesus gave in to their need and began
teaching, offering food for their souls and their bodies. After
feeding them, Jesus dismissed the crowd and went off by
himself to pray. As an introvert, I can identify with his need
to get away from everyone, even the disciples.
It may be too great a leap to say that Jesus was an introvert,
but throughout the Gospels we hear about his need to draw
apart from his followers and pray. His time alone with God
provided the energy he needed to continue his mission.
Like Jesus, we also need to retreat. We need quiet time to
recharge, to connect with God, to pray. Lent, the church’s
quiet time, is an opportunity for us to set aside our own time
alone with God to gather the energy we need to continue our
mission.
Psalm 42, 43; Genesis 46:1-7, 28-34; 1 Corinthians 9:1-15;
Mark 6:30-46
These Lenten meditations were written by the people
of St. Barnabas' for the people of St. Barnabas' as part
of our recognition of the 50th anniversary of the founding
of this church. We hope that you will find them helpful
in your own Lenten devotions.
