“The Things you can only see when you slow down” written by a Buddhist (Zen) Monk – Haemin Sunim. He speaks about slowing down, maintaining good relationships and cultivating self-compassion. You must come away…’ A phrase that could best describe the spirit of our age is: so little time and so much to do. The leisure time that Jesus speaks about seems to have vanished as we attempt to balance work family, driving children here and there and caring for elderly parents and relatives. We seem to be always in a rush. We are constantly being told about speed on our roads, people rushing all the time and even our eating habits suffer. We are reminded to day by Jesus that one of the essential characteristics of a true apostle is to pause, take time out to rest, realign our priorities and open our minds and hearts to God. One of the consequences of this fast life is lack of caring for ourselves and for others. In the second reading we are reminded how we should care for others instead of setting up barriers. Racial, economic, and social barriers mark the terrain of our daily lives. These walls we have set up direct our footsteps, where we go and whose terrain we avoid. Just think for a moment of the gender barriers between us, how we classify each other at Church, the liberals and the conservatives. Let us ask the lord to help us to tear down these barriers we have set up and care for others. Care for ourselves is also essential. We all need compassion for ourselves, for our weaknesses faults and failings. We need to be able to forgive ourselves. Having compassion on ourselves is accepting ourselves as the people we are. We are too hard on ourselves at times by setting impossible standards. Accept yourself, love yourself as you are. If you care for yourself you will be kind to others. You can make a living out of what you get you can make a life out of what you give. Am I giving care and compassion to others and to myself?

One day a person was praying to God to help the needy people of our world. Finally, in utter frustration, he shouted, Lord, why don’t you do something about this ugly situation down here?” There was a pause. Then a heavenly voice spoke out and said, “I did do something. I made you.”