Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION
	“Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while” must have been chosen for this summer season by a committee eager for a vacation. For the apostles, the promise of rest was foiled by the needs of the people who discovered their hideaway and pressed them into ministry. Some people do indeed use their vacation for ministry and mission, giving an intensity of service otherwise not possible. For most of us, vacation is a time when we can grow more aware of God’s plan, and can renew the bonds of love with family and friends in times of play and leisure.
	The disciples learn today that there is no place so out of the way that the life of worship and ministry is disengaged. Giving yourself to summer worship will enrich you, delight you, and give you a sense of the word of God’s progress in your heart. In today’s world, summer is the time when we are most acutely aware of the beauty of the world. Gratitude and wonder are fertile soils for God’s word to take root and prosper. Welcome the visitor today, and resolve that when you travel, you will be faithful to Sunday worship.
—Rev. James Field