“And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.”
Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest — the rest invitation is pastoral: the disciples have been on mission, people are pressing in from all sides, there is no room even to eat. Jesus initiates retreat — not permanent withdrawal but temporary restoration. The come with me by yourselves to a quiet place communicates that rest is not an individual pursuit but a community experience, taken together and with Jesus. The quiet place anticipates the feeding miracle that will occur when the crowds follow them even there.
Church Fathers on Mark 6:31
For they return to the fountain-head whence the streams flow; those who are sent by God, always offer up thanks for those things which they have received.
Let us also learn, when we are sent on any mission, not to go far away, and not to overstep the bounds of the office committed, but to go often to him, who sends us, and report all that we have done and taught; for we must not only teach but act.
Not only do the Apostles tell the Lord what they themselves had done and taught, but also His own and John’s disciples together tell Him what John had suffered, during the time that they were occupied in teaching, as Matthew relates.
Read all 12 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain
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