As we celebrate the first Saturday devotion this morning in honor of Our Lady of Fatima, we celebrate daily Mass for Saturday of the 4th week in Ordinary Time. We have a wonderful Gospel reading today about Jesus and his disciples serving in their mission and ministry. There is excitement about what Jesus and his disciples are doing, about the miracles and healings they are performing, about their proclamation of God’s kingdom. Yet, the crowds have been demanding so much of Jesus and his disciples. They are worn out, as they have little time to rest and even eat. I am sure the disciples were amazed at the new found popularity, but it was probably taking a toll on them. Right now in ministry, many of us are stretched very thin. As the Gospels state, the harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few. This past week, I have a ton of meetings with the diocese, three masses at St Jude, two masses at the federal prison, and two visits to the state prison. All of this while trying to plan for a diocesan workshop next week on Tuesday and Wednesday and the ACTS retreat for men starting on Thursday of next week. I love being a priest, but it is certainly a busy life. We all need to strive for balance in our lives, to work hard for the kingdom of God, but also to have to for rest and prayer. Jesus and his disciples strived for balance in their lives; they took time to reflect on the meaning of what they were doing. May our actions always be fruits of our faith.
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